The Hindu : 'Lethal injection is better'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 27, 2003

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'Lethal injection is better'

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI April 26. Even as the debate on the need for capital punishment in the statute book rages, the Law Commission of India has suggested a more humane way of execution of the death penalty, viz. by lethal injection rather than hanging by the neck.

The Commission headed by Justice M. Jagannadha Rao, which has taken up the subject suo motu, has prepared a consultation paper and has initiated a debate on this issue.

Death by lethal injection involves continuous intravenous injection of a lethal quantity of three different drugs. Two saline intravenous lines are started, one in each arm. Thereafter, the two lines are cut and sodium thiopental is injected, causing the person to fall into a deep sleep.

The second chemical agent, pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxer follows. This causes him/her to stop breathing due to paralysis of the diaphragm and lungs and finally potassium chloride is injected, stopping the heart.

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