CHANDIGARH: After an eleven year long trial, the Special CBI court of Chandigarh on Tuesday pronounced capital punishement for two out of total six convicts in the case pertaining to assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. The court has ordered to hang till death, Jagrar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh both belonging to Babbar Khalsa International.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh was killed by a human bomb here outside the state secretariat on August 31,1995. The blast had claimed lives of 16 more people including his personal security guards.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Sondhi pronounced the death sentence after hearing long arguments by prosecution and defence over the quantum of the sentence on last two hearings. The sentence was pronounced at a special courtroom inside the high security Burail jail here.

The judge awarded life imprisonment to three others - Shamsher Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Lakhwinder Singh - who were convicted last week for conspiring to assassinate Beant Singh. The sixth person convicted in the same case under the Explosives Act, Naseeb Singh, was awarded 10 years imprisonment by the court Tuesday. Since he has already spent 12 years in prison, he is likely to be let off. They were convicted by court on July 27 last.

One of the key accused Jagar Singh Tari is still at large after he along with Hawara and Paramjit Singh Bheora escaped from Burail jail by digging a tunnel. Police had arrested Hawara and Bheora but Tari is still absconding. The case of Bheora is still under trial. Another accused Navjot Singh was acquitted by the court.

Large number of supporters of Hawara and his accomplices beside their family members were assembled outsiee the Burail jail. Maninderjit Singh Bitta President of Anti-terrorist Front who was present outsiee the jail alongwuith Beant Singh's family said that he was assaulted by certain women.He said that Hawara's sister and relatives of other convicts tried to attack them as they were proceeding towards the special court. Bitta has welcomed the court decision and also demanded death sentence for all convicts.

The family members of Beant Singh however were not satisfied over the relaxation given to three other accused who are spared from gallows. 'The death penalty for Hawara and Balwant Singh is good. We want the same for the other three also,' said Tej Prakash Singh, Beant Singh's son.

The Sikh radical organisations had held Beant Singh responsible for allegedly killing Sikh youth in fake encounters during Congress regime.