Afzal's Family Demands For His Body with Belongings

Will come to Tihar only to take Afzal's body, says family

Afzal Guru's family welcomed the Centre's decision to hand over his belongings, but said they would come to Tihar only if the government agrees to hand over his body to them. "They are mixing the two things, we don't understand what they mean. We can pray even from here. We want the body to be handed back, nothing less than that," Mohammad Yasin, cousin of Afzal from Sopore said after home secretary RK Singh said in Delhi that the family will be allowed to visit Afzal's grave inside Tihar jail. But Yasin on the other hand said, "We welcome handing over the belongings but it should not be mixed with the issue of handing over the body. They are different. If they are so concerned, they should hand over the body."He added. Yasin said they would go to Tihar only if the body is returned. "We will go to Delhi on our own, if it comes to that. We do not want any largesse from the government. The only thing we want from them is to return Afzal's body," he added to his statement. On Afzal's belongings, he said "they are the real treasure left now." The belongings, according to Yasin, include his writing material, religious and other books and a radio set. "Either they tell us to come there or we can come on our own to collect the body and the belongings," said Yasin, adding the family wants to give him a "proper burial". Yasin said the family has written a letter in this respect to Tihar jail authorities as well as deputy commissioner Baramulla. 43 year old Afzal was hanged on saturday due to his involvment in 2001 Delhi Parliament attacks. Asked about Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde's statement that "government can consider allowing the family to offer 'fatiha' (prayer) on Afzal's grave", Yasin said it was of no use. "Where will we offer faitha?  We want to bury him here (in Sopore)," he said. He termed the letter  from Tihar Jail authorities informing the family about Afzal's hanging as "cruel joke"  received yesterday.   "The arrival of the letter yesterday was like rubbing salt into open wounds of the family, the wounds which may never heal," Yasin said. He also alleged that the leaders of the country were playing politics over the death of Afzal. "Afzal was hanged - rightly or wrongly, we don't want to go into that - but politicians should stop playing politics over his death," he added.
Read more...