Nagpur jail prepares to hang Yakub Memon

The 1993 Mumbai blasts convict will be woken up early on Thursday, given light refreshments and prayers books before his execution

With the Supreme Court rejecting relief to Yakub Memon, the countdown for the hanging of the only death-row convict of 1993 Mumbai blasts case on Thursday has started at the Nagpur Central Prison.

Memon is all set to be hanged to death as per the TADA court’s order on Thursday on his 53rd birthday. All the preparations were complete, prison sources said. Top police officials on Wednesday visited the prison to supervise the security.

Additional Director General of Police (prisons) Meera Borwankar arrived from Pune to oversee the preparations. She is being assisted by deputy inspector general of prisons Rajendra Dhamne and jail superintendent Yogesh Desai.

Desai had overseen the hanging of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab at Yerwada jail in Pune during his stint there.

Commissioner of Police S P Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police Rajwardhan and zonal deputy commissioner Ishu Sindhu visited the jail on Wednesday evening.

A Quick Response Team of police has already been deployed near the premises.

Though no intelligence inputs have been received about any possible incident, police are not taking any chances, sources said.

Section 144 of CrPC prohibiting assembly of five or more people has been imposed in the area around the prison.

Memon’s brother Suleman and cousin Usman arrived. “We have faith in Allah,” was all they said when accosted by reporters outside the hotel.

According to the jail manual, Memon will be woken up early in the morning, allowed to take a bath and offered some light refreshment. He would be given religious books to read or recite prayers.

A team of doctors will examine Memon before the hanging.

Chief Judicial Magistrate M M Deshpande is likely to be present and she will be reading out the operative part of the trial court’s order to Memon.

Memon had not yet seen the ‘Fansi Yard’, where the hanging would take place. The hangman is supposed to pull the lever after a signal from the magistrate. The body should be kept hanging for half an hour, the manual says.

The doctor will then check the body and declare him dead, and an autopsy would be conducted in the jail itself.

As for Memon’s remains, the jail superintendent will decide whether to bury them in the jail premises or hand over to relatives. But the state government's order in this regard will be final, sources added.

Image: Heavy security has been deployed around the Nagpur Central prison to avoid any possible incident. Photograph: PTI