The night of Yakub Memon's hanging, in Nagpur

Waiting for ‘the’ word, media and cops work through night

By Kartik Lokhande

Will he be hanged as scheduled? What is the Supreme Court’s decision in unprecedented late-night hearing? Do cops have any inputs? Time of hanging has changed, is it? These and countless many questions filled the otherwise silent night in the radius of around 1 km from Nagpur Central Jail after 12 am on July 30. Tension was palpable.
The questions were being asked by mediapersons to fellow journalists, cops to cops, media to cops, and commoners to media and cops. Mediapersons from Nagpur as well as the adjoining states and even Mumbai and Delhi remained awake through the night to telecast the latest inputs with respective media houses, especially electronic media houses. Cops on duty inside Central Jail premises and those on bandobast/nakabandi duty across the city, also were anxious about what was happening. Various routes to and fro Central Jail had barricades, with armed cops deployed there to check late-night home-goers or wanderers, as a matter of abundant precaution.
The late-night unprecedented developments at the Supreme Court in New Delhi occupied the mindscape of countless many Indians, Nagpurians included, and especially mediamen and cops deployed in Nagpur. As the clock was ticking, anxiety was building up. For, the scheduled time of hanging of Yakub Memon, the first death row convict in 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, was 7 am. Only a few hours ahead of that, news of the Supreme Court hearing came.
The hearing at Supreme Court in New Delhi, in response to the last-ditch effort on behalf of Yakub, was to begin at 2 am first. Almost all newspaper publications in Nagpur held back their city editions anticipating some last moment input to be incorporated in the reports carried on front pages. Later on, news came that hearing would begin at the Supreme Court at 2.30 am. By 3 am, as the hearing did not begin, newspapers released their editions. However, anxiety was far from released.
Reporters assigned to cover the hanging, and those eager to witness the movements inside and outside the jail at the time of hanging, loitered around. The Outside Broadcasting (OB) vans of electronic media houses from various parts of the country were parked as close as possible outside the 500 metres radius from Central Jail. As they received calls from their headquarters in Mumbai and Delhi and elsewhere, the electronic media reporters continued giving ‘piece to camera’ about uncertainty in the air at Nagpur. There were flashes of bright light in different corners as these reporters gave ‘live updates’ from Nagpur.
Clock raced ahead. It was 4 am. Will he be hanged? Has the Supreme Court passed its order? These two questions dominated the debate among citizens, cops, media, and the fading night. Around this time, news came that the cops had handed over a ‘confidential envelope’ to Yakub’s brothers Suleman and Usman at Hotel Dwarka at 2.10 am. By the time, discussions concluded that handing over of envelope to Yakub’s brothers was a confirmation of his hanging, it was 4.45 am. Still, handing over of the envelope was not confirmed. At 4.50 am, the Supreme Court concluded its hearing and rejected fresh plea against Yakub’s hanging.
The mediamen and cops, weary of staying alert through the night, got refreshed with this news. Again, frenzied efforts started to gather whatever details available. Bit-by-bit, it emerged that Yakub was woken up at 3.30 am, allowed a warm bath, offer prayers. He was asked to undergo a medical examination, and after completion of laid-down procedures, he was hanged at 6.35 am. However, hanging did not end the anxiety. Then started attempts to know if his body was handed over to his brothers. There were rumours of commissioning of an air ambulance or a special flight to carry Yakub’s body to Mumbai. Finally, it came out that the body was taken by IndiGo flight. Once Yakub’s body and his brothers were out of town, the situation around Nagpur Central Jail started relaxing.
By this time, the city had woken up. Sunrise had whisked away all questions that occupied the night. And, mediapersons embarked on their next mission -- to share with the world the answers to questions that kept them awake through the night. ‘The’ word was out. 

(30-07-15)