Bitta slams Punjab Cong, SAD over Bhullar issue

Apparently pained at politics over the execution of death row convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, All India Anti-Terrorist Front Chairman M S Bitta on Tuesday criticised the Punjab Congress unit for backing the demand for commuting the sentence.

"I am mentally tortured by the Congress and central intelligence agencies for the past 18 years. I have completely failed to face political terrorism in the country," Bitta said.

He was referring to the demand made by Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the state Congress unit for commuting Bhullar's death sentence to life term.

Bhullar was sentenced to death by a trial court on August 25, 2001, for plotting terror attacks on Punjab's senior superintendent of police Sumedh Singh Saini in 1991 and Bitta, the then Youth Congress chief, in 1993.

He said if clemency was granted to Bhullar then the trend will follow in the cases of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, Mumbai attack convict Kasab and Dara Singh.

"I don't want to be alive any more...I can't face the political terrorism in the country," Bitta said. President Pratibha Patil had on May 26 rejected the mercy petition of Bhullar, a member of Khalistan Liberation Force.

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress Member of Legislative Assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira termed Bitta as a "disgruntled" leader and alleged that his politics was aimed only at maintaining his Z plus security cover.

Former Punjab deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh also urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to save the life of Bhullar.