KNZ NEWS DESK
The sixth death anniversary of Mohammad Afzal Guru falls on Saturday as he was secretly hanged and buried inside Tihar jail on this day in 2013.
Afzal Guru, who was hailing from Doabgah Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, was hanged on 9 February 2013 after he was convicted for his role in the 2001 Parliament attack.
His body was buried secretly within the premises of Delhi’s Tihar Jail
and the mortal remains were never returned to his family.
Tabassum Guru, wife of Afzal Guru said they have been demanding his mortal remains since the day he was hanged. “We have also been demanding the books, clothes and other items that he had with him in the jail but nothing has been returned to us till date,” she said.
She said they will continue to demand his mortal remains until their last breath.
She said every year they were holding special prayers on his death anniversary at his home. “We would gather every year on this day at our home to pay tributes to Afzal Guru and offer special prayers. We also invited Mullahs from a nearby Darsgah to organize special prayers for Afzal Guru,” she said.
“Our relatives every year would come a day earlier to participate in such special prayers,” she said, adding that however, the army today “put restrictions and did not allow anybody to visit our home.”
She added: “We will still hold special prayers on his death anniversary tomorrow,” she said.
Tabassum said that many relatives were calling them that they were not allowed to visit the native place and were asked to go back.
Afzal Guru was executed on 9 February 2013 after the President of India rejected his mercy petition.
Amnesty International had questioned his sentence stating that he did not receive “adequate legal representation” and that his execution was “carried out in secrecy”.
Geelani, Mirwaiz, Malik, others caged; Restrictions in Srinagar parts
Ahead of the death anniversaries of Muhammad Afzal Guru and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front founder Muhammad Maqbool Bhat, police have launched a massive crackdown on the separatist leadership by caging the top separatist leaders and placing the middle-rung leaders under house detention to maintain order. The authorities have also decided to impose restrictions in parts of Srinagar, especially in downtown areas and Maisuma to “prevent any protest rally.”
JKLF chief Muhammad Yasin Malik was detained on Wednesday when he was leading a protest march from Front’s Abi Guzar office against the plight of Kashmiri prisoners.
Malik along with many other activists of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) were later lodged in police station Kothibag. According to Front spokesman, Malik continues to remain under the police detention at police station Kothibag.
JRL comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, have asked people to observe complete strike on Afzal Guru’s and Maqbool Bhat’s death anniversaries on February 9 and February 11 respectively.
The JRL has also asked people to offer funeral prayers in absentia for the duo on February 10 and to press for the return of mortal remains of Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru.
A source said that police launched crackdown on the separatist leadership by strengthening the house detention of Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani at his Hyderpora residence. Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was also placed under house arrest at his Nigeen residence.
Taking to his twitter handle late on Friday evening, Mirwaiz wrote: “As martyrdom anniversaries of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat are being observed on Feb 9, and 11, authorities have started crackdown on resistance leaders and activists. I have been just placed under house arrest.”
Earlier in the day, senior Hurriyat (M) leader Engineer Hilal Ahmed War was also placed under house detention.
Senior resistance leaders that include Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Javaid Ahmed Mir, Mukhtar Waza, Muhammad Ashraf Laya, Imtia
