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Capital Punishment. Can you do it yourself?

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Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

It is a rule that if you want to receive a service from society, you must appreciate that it is a good service and you must be ready to do it yourself. Sometimes you may not be good at it. So you can let someone else do it.

For example, a doctor treates you. You want his service. So you must appreciate it is a good service. So you must be ready to be a doctor. But some of you do not have the skill to be a doctor. So you need not be a doctor.

Now comes the job of an executioner. If you think some criminals are to be hanged, you must be ready to do it by yourself. Here you can't say you don't have the skill to do it. It is very easy to hang a man. Can you do it? If you can't do it, don't advocate for it. Please do not say that you are a respected lady or a gentleman hence some hangman must do that job for you.

So whatever may the case. Let it be a murder of a rape. Do not advocate for death sentences if you can't do it by yourself.

Personally, I can't kill a man. So I say "Capital Punishment should be abolished".

Edited
Reason: modification of content.

Replies 1 to 20 of 47

Stagg Mann
from Stagg Landd |

By OP's logic- I am too egotistic or arrogant to be a sweeper. Therefore nobody should be sweeping the streets. Pollution FTW!!!

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

I myself thought about this example of sweeper when I posted this thread. Now I'm glad that you ask about it.

The question not whether you want to be a sweeper in your life. The question is can you do it once?

Many of you would have worked with National Service Scheme in college and would have swept streets. That's enough.

But can you kill a man once?

Now there are six accused in Delhi case. Can you kill one of them? Let the executioner kill the rest.

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

Never tried it. But I guess I should be able to do it. Not like I need to break their necks with bare hands or anything I guess. That I can't obviously.

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

Actually I think many of the outraged public would only be too glad of an opportunity for a public lynching.

Anger might not be the most positive of emotions though. In my younger days I used to watch movies where hero's sister is raped and imbibe the anger and then enjoy the villain being killed bit by bit in the end. Later I started avoiding such movies to avoid the negative emotions of exhiliration in revenge.

Also in a large and messy country like India, it is difficult for effective reformation programs to work. So better to kill off proven criminals. My only concern is in this corrupt country, the law will be used more to victimize innocent citizens who those in power do not like.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

You only need to put a cloth over their head. Tie their hands at back. Put the noose around their neck. Pull a lever. Can you do it?

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

Guess I should be able to do it. I think I said something on these lines of how sometimes cruel acts need to be done for greater kindness to humanity during my XLRI interview and the scandalized christian Fathers who were part of the panel immedeately threw me out.  

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

Thanks Jayan. But that many years back.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

But do you think Pranab Kumar Mukherji (out president) will do it? But he may clean streets to inagurate any National Service plan.

Can you imagine Sonia Gandhi hanging a man?

If they do not do it considering it to be a filthy job not fit for the post of the President or the head of Ruling political party should you do it?

Purnendu
from Pune |

ok. By that logic, I can kill a man, so I should be supporting Capital Punishment. Extending it, 11 lakh armymen and some 10-15 lakh policemen can kill.. we are not even counting bandits, criminals etc who can kill. That should be a sufficient number to justify its existance 

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

Soliders doing killing for saving their mother land is diiferent. I support it. But putting a man in jail and killing him while his arms tied behind is different.

Again I state the previous example.

"If any country attacks another country, the president of the latter one may take arms and fight. But he won't hang a man in jail. Its not considered as a distinguished job".

The Sorcerer
from Mumbai |

How can it be different when you gave an example of a doctor on a thread that talks about those who want capital punishment for henious crimes? This post contradicts the funda of your first post. Judgement is made by evidence and intensity of the crime. Despite being painfully slow, it works when the iron is hot. Judgement is guided by opinions framed with years of practice of law and experience with cases. Your logic is flawed.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

Let me make it clear then.

The topic is "Capital Punishment". Not killing.

Killing will be needed some times. Like when a foreign county attacks us. Every citizen of our country must do that job as a duty.

But killing a man (let him be the soldier of the other army) in jail is different.

If you want one more example,

"Why no one dream to be a hangman while many dream to be an army man"?

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

But frankly so many people are dying of hunger and weather conditions in this poor country. Why waste food and shelter on these criminals? I am fine with maybe some form of painless death instead of hanging. 

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

If Mr. Jaykumar wants, he can keep Kasabs in his home and feed them chicken Biriyani. I don't want my tax money to be spent on this.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

But the question "Can you do it yourself" stays? Whatever painless way that may be. Can you be an executioner?

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

I do not want to keep Kasab in my home. For that we built jails. But I (citizen of the state) must feed him (not chicken biriyani) if I can't kill him. I agree. And I'm ready to feed him. Because there is no other way. Let him work in jail (again under humanitarian conditions) to earn his food.

The Sorcerer
from Mumbai |

If a judgement is passed in a court of law, pretty sure a lot more people would like to do that, especially comparing the numbers before legal judgement.Then again, it won't be allowed. That's not how it works. There's a system- a painfully slow one which moves only when shown on tv, but it exists. This isn't the system of vengeance or "equivalent exchange". Its the law. Fear needs to be put on people in general (provided the fear directs people in the right direction) for the mass to be civil. Its only when that is done, humans understand their potential- the potential to grow at their peak under those limitations. Limitations are altered and changed or even removed depending on the people.

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

By the way, at first seeing the topic I thought you were selling do it yourself kits for so many people asking for capital punishments on Facebook.

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

By the way, I hope you are a vegetarian, Mr. Jayan Menon. Or if you are you a non vegetarian, have at least butchered one animal or bird. If not all your arguments fall flat on your face.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

According to the logic I stated, I can be a non vegetarian if I can kill a chicken. I can go for fishing. I do not want to live my life as butcherer. I need to kill chicken only once.

The Sorcerer
from Mumbai |

Plants have life too. So "technically" you're butchering them in some sense but unlike animals or bird's reactions we'll never know or comprehend what plants feel!

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

The topic of discussion here is not "Do we need capital punishment or not". Here I only want to know how many of you are ready to kill the delhi rape accused?

Yatin Khurana
from delhi |

Law of the jungle !!! kill others to feed ourselves !!:-| 

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

The whole point and purpose of me starting this thread is this.

"There are a lot of people shouting for "Capital punishment". Most of them are hypocrites. Because they are not ready to see the filth and be part of that. They only want to sit at their home, open laptop, log into IB or FB, advocate for Capital punishment.

TF Carthick
from Bangalore |

I have answered - "I can" as long as I am convinced these are genuine culprits and not some random buggers police has picked off the streets to close the case and it is easy stuff like a switch or a syringe. If you then start asking me whether Rahul Gandhi will do it or Akilesh Yadav will do it, I can't answer for them all.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

It's good TF you made your stand clear. You can advocate for "Capital Punishment".

But what about others who argue for it? (I said most of them are hypocrites).

Stagg Mann
from Stagg Landd |

There's a difference between killing and execution. A person kills, a state/body executes. An executioner is not killing anyone, he is just pulling the lever to the trapdoor.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

I'm sorry but you are not answering to the question "Can you pull the lever to the trapdoor"?

Stagg Mann
from Stagg Landd |

If you pay me for it, yes. I'm just pulling the lever- someone else tied up the man and put a noose around his neck.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

Its he who pulls the lever kills the man. You are ok with it. You make your stand clear.

By the way, can't you put a noose around his neck? Is that a tough job?

The Sorcerer
from Mumbai |

How is it a tough job after the judgement is made by the court of law? The man who pulls a lever is nothing more than a trigger- a trigger being pressed based on the decision made by the court of law.

Stagg Mann
from Stagg Landd |

The same person doesn't put the noose around the neck as well as pull the lever- 2 different people do it, which is why neither person can be said to have "killed" the prisoner. Think of it this way- manure (guy who puts the noose) and water (guy who pulls the lever)- 2 different things- contribute to the growth of a crop (hanging of a prisoner). But the crop's growth is because of a coordinated system by a farmer (government) that has the irrigation and manure working in tandem. So neither the manure nor the water is solely responsible for the growth of the crop, but the system is. Hope you get itCool

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

Ok. I get that. But the final act does has some imprtance.

In farming manuring and watering are two independent tasks. But in killing pulling lever is final task. Its like doing a seminar. Making  the PPT is one thing. Presenting it another. Its the final one.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

As far as I see it, most people do want to see death on their name. It's not a good feeling to remember that you killed a man (howsoever you technically define it as decision of the state). That's the reason they can't say "I'm ready to pull the lever".

Now all of us can enjoy and celebrate the death of Ajmal Kasab. We can distribute sweets and enjoy. Because that death is on not our name. Somebody did it. But you and me didn't.

Stagg Mann
from Stagg Landd |

If anyone, the judge who passed this sentence is responsible. And even there, he was acting strictly under the guidelines set down by the Indian legal system.

Vysakh Jayakrishnan
from Thrissur |

If it is so, then why not everyone who support Capital punishment, do not say they are ready to pull the lever. Up till now, only three of you have agreed to do it. Where are the rest????????

DS
from Mumbai |

All Indians are not registered here and all the bloggers who are registered with Indiblogger do not visit the forum or write in every forum thread. So 3 agreeing is not a small number. By the way I am ready to pull the lever and put on the mask to the culprits and whatever else is required to put them to rest and make the world a better place.

Stephen
from Raleigh |

So how will it help?  Are you recruiting for the post of a hangman or what?