Calcutta, Aug. 14: The act of sending a person to the gallows is barbaric and we do not deserve the tag of a civilised society, argued a few among the thousands who had gathered outside Alipore Central Jail this morning.

“Our aim was not to defend Dhananjoy Chatterjee — he committed a heinous crime and deserved punishment. But we are fighting for a greater cause. We raised our voice against those who are in favour of capital punishment, reflecting the malice of the society we live in,” said a campaigner against death sentence.

Dhananjoy was hanged this morning for the rape and murder of schoolgirl Hetal Parekh 14 years ago.

“There are many who are for capital punishment. They claim that the fear of being hanged acts as a deterrent for many like-minded criminals. However, a recent study by the UN has proved them wrong,” said Kirity Roy, the secretary of the Manabadhikar Suraksha Manch.

“The crime situation in the countries that have done away with the system has improved over the years, while in the ones that have not, the situation has deteriorated,” he said.

“There have been several rape cases in the last one week in the state. Has the decision to hang Dhananjoy changed the attitude of the rapists?” asked Gautam Sen, a member of the Pratibadi Udyog.