Death penalty sought for parcel bomb murder convict

New Delhi, July 29 : H.D. Sikand, father of a city-based businessman who was killed by a parcel bomb nearly 26 years ago, approached the Delhi High Court Tuesday seeking death penalty for a former army officer, who is convicted and undergoing life imprisonment.

Kishan Sikand was killed when he opened a parcel and a bomb in it exploded at his house. It was sent by Lt Col (retired) S.J. Chaudhary, now in his early 70s, who was held guilty by a city court April 28 this year.

Stating that the murder was committed in a premeditated and cruel manner, H.D. Sikand demanded death penalty for the convict.

“The trial judge has ignored the fact that the crime was heinous and the parcel bomb had created a great risk of serious bodily harm or death to any other person,” he said in his petition to the high court.

Chaudhary had sent a parcel bomb to city-based businessman Kishan Sikand at his Sunder Nagar residence in south Delhi Oct 2, 1982.

Chaudhary, who had disputes with his wife Rani, was enraged over the victim's alleged plan to marry her and plotted his murder by using a Pakistan-make hand grenade in a parcel, which exploded on opening, kiling Kishan Sikand.