UP hangman wants to prepare noose for convict

Sixty-five-year-old Mammu Singh, the hangman of Meerut Central Jail, doesn’t know if he will be called to hang Kasab, but feels the terrorist has to be raced to the gallows so as to ensure the victims get justice.

He claims he is fit for the job with all the ancestry backing him. His father, Kallu, hanged Indira Gandhi’s killers and his grandfather, Nanwa, served as a hangman during the British period. Mammu wants his son to continue the lineage.
Another claim is the “strong heart” that he possesses and the job demands. “For hanging one has to have a strong heart... this profession is not for the weak-hearted... for us, hanging is our duty,” he says.

A lot goes into the job, Mammu says. “The convict is weighed... the rope is prepared according to his weight. Ghee, powder, grease and oil is applied on the rope. The most important part of hanging is to prepare oneself mentally. After all, we are also human beings. For us, it is not a crime to punish the offender,” he says.
Mammu, who learnt the ropes from his father, joined the profession at 27. His “victims” include many convicts in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab. Despite being demanding, the job doesn’t pay, Mammu feels. All that he earns is a meagre Rs 3,000 a month.
DH News Service