After much delay the 2001 Indian Parliament Attack convict Afzal Guru has been hung in Tihar jail at 8 am. Due to this, the whole Kashmir Valley has been placed under strict curfew. Chief minister Omar Abdullah, who was in New Delhi on Friday, said that he was not aware that Guru’s mercy petition was rejected by the Indian President.
It was promised by the home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde that the convict would be disposed as soon as he took over the Home Ministry in 2012. The Supreme Court had ordered the hanging of Afzal in the year 2004 after he was charged with aiding with the attack on the Indian Parliament House in the year 2001.
However, Guru’s wife had made a mercy petition after his execution sentence, which was scheduled in the year 2006. Ever since then, the mercy petition has been pending in the President’s office. Reports state that President Pranab Mukherjee had rejected the mercy petition on January 23, 2013. During the Parliament attack in 2001, nine people were killed, including security men and officials.
Afzal Guru was held responsible for conspiracy during the attacks and after the incident many Kashmiri people based in Delhi were picked up for questioning. However, they were later released after it was observed by the court that they were not involved in the crime.
