FOR PAWAN, PULLING THE ROPES IS JUST A JOB
Executioner Pawan, who denies hangmen drink before the task, is set to hang Nirbhaya case convicts
MEERUT : To most people, Pawan is a clothes hawker who sells bed-sheets, blanket and other clothes at a reasonable price. His professional identity as an executioner (jallad) is a secret and few know that he belongs to the fourth generation of a hangman’s family.
As an executioner, Pawan suddenly shot into limelight after the court issued death warrants to the culprits of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case and Pawan was deputed to send them to the gallows.
His barber Mohd Aasim said, “He has been visiting my shop for over a year and I came to know only recently that he was a ‘jallad’ after newspapers reported about him.”
The hangman, who said he led a normal life like everyone else save for the fact that he was ready to execute someone on the court’s order, demanded respect and financial security for his family. “A judge who issues a death warrant gets respect and financial security, but an executioner who carries out the order is deprived of both,” he said.
Till date, Pawan has not put the noose around the neck of anyone on death row but he is unperturbed, having learnt the nuances of hanging from his grandfather Kaluram. “My grandfather was my real guru and I have no regrets about being a member of a hangman’s family,” he said.
But he does regret his poor financial condition.
“I got a stipend of Rs 3,000 per month from the jail department. I demanded it should be raised to Rs 20,000 per month but the authorities finalised it at Rs 5,000 per month. How can I run a
THE HANGMAN SAID HE LED A NORMAL LIFE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE SAVE FOR THE FACT THAT HE WAS READY TO EXECUTE SOMEONE ON THE COURT’S ORDER
big family with such a small income?” he asked, saying this was the reason he had to hawk clothes in streets as a ‘pheriwala’. So those who do not know him as an executioner consider him a vendor.
However, these days he is unable to sell clothes because he is occupied in making arrangements before the hangings. “The jail authorities frequently call me, so do media persons, so there is not much time to go out to sell clothes,” he said.
He buys bed-sheets, blankets and other clothes from wholesalers at a lower rate and hawks them in lanes and by-lanes on his cycle and sometimes in a hired three-wheeler in Meerut, Saharanpur, Hapur, Muzaffarnagar and other neighbouring towns.
His family consists of five daughters and two sons. “My daughters are married but still I need money for the family of five,” said Pawan whose elder son is pursuing graduation in commerce and the younger one is in Class 12. He refuses to disclose their names, perhaps because he does not want them to be known as sons of an executioner. As a father, he is concerned
about his sons’ future. “Many times I requested authorities to arrange a government job for my elder son but nothing happened.” However, he said his sons were ready to take up the job of a hangman and even if they refused for some reason one of his brothers would step into his shoes.
GOD-FEARING AND AMIABLE
Pawan is a God-fearing person and a devotee of Bajrangbali and Godess Kali. A resident of Kanshiram colony here, he has cordial
relations with people in the neighbourhood and is known for his equanimity.
A neighbour Azam Hussain said, “He is a poor man but maintains good relations with people.” An elderly person Santarpal said, “I have never seen him getting involved in any controversy. He spends his time thinking about his family and how to secure the future of his sons.”
On being asked how much additional money he got after an execution, he said it depended on the jail authorities.