Two days after the hanging of 2001 parliament attack convict Mohammed Afzal Guru, his family on Monday received the letter from Indian jail authorities about the rejection of mercy petition and their subsequent decision to execute him inside jail.
“We have received a letter but tell me what purpose it will serve now?” said Yasin Guru, cousin of Afzal. “It is a cruel joke from the government of India.”
The letter written on Feb. 6 was posted in the name of Guru’s wife from New Delhi on Feb. 8.
John Samuel, head of region’s postal department told media that the letter was delivered to Guru’s family on Monday.
“Since Sunday was a public holiday, the letter was delivered at the address this morning,” said Samuel.
Guru is survived by his wife Tabusum and 12-year-old son Ghalib.
The Indian authorities Saturday morning hanged Guru to death in Tihar jail of New Delhi and buried him inside jail premises. The family of Guru has demanded return of his body for proper burial in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Indian Home Secretary R. K. Singh following the execution told media on Saturday they had informed the family, a statement rejected by Guru’s family, saying they had come to know about the hanging of their kin from Indian TV channels.
The region’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he found it outrageous that Guru’s family was denied a last meeting with him.
Guru, a Kashmiri resident, was convicted by the Indian authorities for his role in the December 2001 attack on India’s parliament house, which killed several Indian security personnel and five attackers. He was sentenced to death in 2004 by Indian Supreme Court. The sentence was supposed to have been carried out on Oct. 20, 2006. However, the sentence was delayed after Guru’s wife filed a mercy petition.
Officials in New Delhi said Indian President rejected Guru’s mercy petition on Feb. 3 and thereafter decision for his hanging was made.
Guru’s family said he was denied a fair trial in the case.
Fearing backlash following Guru’s hanging, the authorities imposed an indefinite curfew, which is being enforced by thousands of policemen and India’s paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel across Muslim-majority areas of the region for the third straight day.
So far, three people have died and 50 others, including 23 policemen, were injured in the clashes over Guru’s hanging.
A 16-year-old Ubaid Mushtaq succumbed to his wounds early Monday in a hospital in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. He was wounded in police firing at village Watergam in district Baramulla, around 58 km northwest of Srinagar.
On Monday a body was recovered from a river in Wangipora, Sumbal of Ganderbal district, around 38 km north of Srinagar city. Locals said the two young men drowned after being chased by policemen on Sunday. Police spokesman, however, denied the local allegations and said the youth drowned after a boat ferrying them capsized.
Officials have blocked the Internet service on mobile phones and data cards and snapped the cable TV network service in the region. The print editions of newspapers published from Srinagar could not hit the stands for the second consecutive day in wake of the official curbs.
Around 60 newspapers are published from Srinagar city.
In 2010, during anti-India demonstrations authorities imposed similar restrictions and prevented newspapers from getting published for days together.
The attack on India parliament then brought the two nuclear neighbors, India and Pakistan almost at the brink of war with each other.
after all he is a terrorist ,they should have shot him when captured.His family should be thankful for keeping him in prison for this long…………
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