Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru hanged, buried in Tihar jail
09/02/2013
Afzal Guru, convicted for his role in the attack on Parliament in December 2001, was executed at 8 this morning and has been buried at Delhi's Tihar Jail. Mohammad Afzal Guru was found guilty of conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and was sentenced to death by Special POTA Court in 2002. Delhi High Court had confirmed the judgment in 2003 and his appeal to the same was rejected by Supreme Court of India in 2005. The sentence was scheduled to be carried out on 20 October 2006, but Afzal was given a stay of execution and remained on death row. On 3 February 2013, his mercy petition was rejected by the President of India. He was hanged at Delhi's Tihar Jail around 08:00am on February 9, 2013. He belonged to Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir. He had completed the first year of his MBBS course and was preparing for competitive exams. Dropped out from the MBBS studies in Jhelum Valley Medical College, Srinagar, he became a member of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front over to the other side of Kashmir, but in a matter of weeks got disillusioned after seeing Pakistani Politicians acting the same as the Indian politicians in dealing with Kashmiris. He returned after few weeks. He surrendered to the security force, and was even given a BSF certificate as surrendered militant. He could not become a doctor but became a dealer of medicines and surgical instruments on commission basis. It was during this business venture that he came into contact with Tariq of Anantnag , who motivated him to join Jihad for liberation of Kashmir and assured him of financial assistance, Tariq introduced him to other terrorists from Ghaziabad, Pakistan who were proclaimed offenders in Kashmir who further exhorted him to join the movement and apprised him of the mission to carry out attacks on important institutions in India like Parliament and Embassies and asked him to find a safe hideout for the 'Fidayeens' in Delhi. Five terrorists entered Parliament complex on Dec 13, 2001 and opened fire indiscriminately, killing nine people and injuring over 10. All five gunmen were shot dead. The attack was conducted jointly by the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM). Seven members of the security forces, including a female constable, were killed, as were the five still incompletely identified men who carried out the attack. Mohammad Afzal Guru was arrested along with Shaukat Hussain and later on explosives were found from their hideout in Delhi. Eighty witnesses were examined for the prosecution and ten were examined for defense. On December 19, 2001 he made a confession of the offenses which was recorded and was signed by him. He also confirmed having made the confessional statement without any threat or pressure. There was an appeal to issue clemency to Afzal from various human rights groups including political groups in Kashmir, who believe that Afzal Guru did not receive a fair trial and was subjected to a frame up of corrupt and inefficient police work. Human rights activists in various parts of India and the world demanded reprieve as they believe that the trial was flawed.