JOIN USThe Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu on Sunday demanded the abolition of death sentence arguing that capital punishment would “neither eradicate or reduce” crimes in the country.
A resolution was adopted in this regard during the party’s 10th state conference at Trichy district.
The DMK reiteration against the death penalty came against the backdrop of fervent pleas for commuting the death penalty of three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
Accusing the Centre of not acting on the desperate appeals against capital punishment, the party said DMK president M Karunanidhi had also been insisting on abolishing death sentence "which can only take away lives in an inhuman manner".
“Change of heart is needed for eradicating crime and death penalty will not be an appropriate solution for this. Hence, the Centre must bring amendments to the law to end death penalty," it said.
Another resolution demanded that India move a separate resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meet next month for an independent inquiry into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka in 2009, besides its backing to the United States resolution.
It also wanted a UN-monitored referendum to be conducted in Sri Lanka to allow the Tamils there to evolve a political solution for themselves.
Other resolutions urged the Centre to find ways and means to waive the educational loans of students, start afresh the controversial Sethusamudram shipping channel project and linking of rivers, protection of Tamil Nadu fishermen from attacks by Sri Lankan Navy and opposed Foreign Direct Investment in retail trade.