Even as the Yakub Memon's petition is pending before the Supreme Court, preparations to hang him are in full swing at the Nagpur Central Jail where he is presently lodged. Inspector General of Police (Prisons) Meeran Borwankar visited the jail on Friday evening to take a review of the preparation for the hanging, which is scheduled for July 30. Trials of the hanging are being conducted on a dummy as per the jail manual, sources close to the jail authorities said on Friday. Borwankar is likely to remain in the city for a couple of days to ensure that everything goes as per the plan and laid down procedure on the D-day, sources said. However, the primary responsibility of the execution lies with the Nagpur Jail Superintendent Yogesh Desai, who was posted at Yerwada Prison in Pune, when the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks convict Ajmal Kasab was hanged there in November 2012, they added. Though the last hangman of Maharashtra Subedar Arjun Jadhav died in September 2002, this did not pose a problem for the prison authorities who hanged Kasab in November 2012.In case of Kasab's hanging, the most secretive operation, it was prison department personnel who prepared the noose for the Pakistani terrorist. For Yakub too, the noose would be prepared by unnamed prison department personnel. The method for preparing the noose is the same that was used by hangman Jadhav and three personnel are being trained for the task. A prison officer said that the noose is prepared using soft cotton cloth that is lubricated with ripe bananas and ghee. This is done to reduce injury to the skin from the noose. Moreover, Home department officials have even roped in the services of maulvi in case his body is not claimed by family members as it happened in the case of Kasab. However, in case of Yakub, it is being done only for redundancy.
