India hanges Kashmiri Muslim Afzal Guru in Delhi

Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri Muslim, convicted for his alleged role in the attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001, was executed at Delhi’s Tihar Jail early Saturday morning, Indian media reported.

Press Trust of India said that Guru, who was widely believed to be innocent, was hanged at 8 a.m., was later buried in the jail.

Jail officials told PTI Afzal Guru walked to the gallows in a peaceful and composed frame of mind.

“He was very peaceful and calm during the final moments. He looked very composed,” a top Tihar Jail official said.

The official said Afzal Guru’s family was informed about the execution.

Two hours later, Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde made a formal announcement. He said his ministry had recommended to President Pranab Mukherjee on January 21 that Guru be executed. The President, he said, rejected the convict’s mercy petition on February 3, the execution order was signed the next day, and the date and time for hanging him was fixed on February 8.

Guru was hanged and buried close to the high security cell no 3 at Tihar, where he spent over eight years on death row, PTI reported.

Mr Shinde said all legal procedure was followed in Guru’s execution. Home Secretary RK Singh refuted allegations that Guru’s wife, Tabassum, and family were not informed about his mercy petition being rejected, saying that they had been sent a speed post and registered letter.

Mr Shinde said the Centre is closely watching the situation in the Indian occupied Kashmir, where curfew has been imposed in all 10 districts of the Valley to prevent violent reactions.

Cable TV services have been disconnected in some parts.

Afzal Guru belonged to Sopore in occupied Kashmir and many in the state Guru was not given a fair trial. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said repeatedly that Guru’s hanging could have grave consequences. He was in Delhi this morning and has rushed back to his state.

Curfew declared in Kashmir Valley: Curfew was imposed in Srinagar and surrounding areas to prevent reactionary violence. Many in his home state agree with human activists who say that Afzal guru was not given a fair trial.

Afzal Guru was given the death sentence by the Supreme Court in 2004. His hanging, scheduled for October 20, 2006, was stayed after his wife filed the mercy petition, which had been pending with the President’s office since.

The main opposition party, the BJP, has for long questioned the delay. The BJP said the execution was “delayed but is undoubtedly welcome.” “The people of this country had been waiting for this for a long time. This is a right step in the fight against terrorism,” BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy added.

In November, in a similar secret operation, Ajman Kasab, caught during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, was executed at a jail in Pune.

On December 13, 2001, five heavily-armed men drove into the Parliament complex and opened fire. Nine people were killed, most of them members of the security forces. All the terrorists were shot dead.

Both Houses of Parliament had just been adjourned and many MPs and ministers, including then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani were still inside. Afzal Guru was arrested early the next day and accused of planning the attack.

The Indian government has refuted reports that the family of Afzal Guru was not informed that he would be executed Saturday morning in Delhi.

Home Secretary RK Singh says that Guru’s family in his home town near Sopore in the Kashmir valley, just 30 kms from Srinagar, was sent a letter via speed post which disclosed that his petition for clemency had been rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee on February 3 and that  he would be hanged in Tihar Jail.

Sources at Tihar Jail say he woke up as usual at 5 am for his prayers and was then put through medical tests to check his blood pressure, pulse  were stable, required by law for convicts before they are executed. Sources also say that Afzal Guru’s body will not be sent to Kashmir. He will be buried at Tihar Jail in Delhi where he spent nearly eight years on death row.

He was arrested days after five gunmen drive into the Parliament complex and opened fire. They were shot dead. Nine other people, most of them security personnel, were killed in the shootout.

Both houses of Parliament had been adjourned just before the attack and several parliamentarians were still inside the building.

Afzal Guru spent nearly eight years on death row in the Tihar Jail. He was convicted in the attack on Parliament in 2001.

The mercy plea of 43-year-old Afzal Guru, who was sentenced to death in 2002 by a special court and later upheld by the Supreme Court in 2004, was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee a few days back, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson Venu Rajamony said.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Feb 9 2013. Filed under Latest News, South Asia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.