A former fruit seller & the only alive culprit of the attacks of 2001, was hanged at Tihar Jail at around 8am, becoming only the second person to be hanged in India in nearly a decade after Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist from 26/11 Mumbai attacks, officials said. "Yes, he has been hanged," home secretary RK Singh said. "President Pranab Mukherjee rejected Afzal Guru's mercy petition on Feb 3." "My information is that he will be buried in the campus but it's the jail authorities who will go by jail manual," he added. 
Guru was found guilty of conspiring with and sheltering the militants who attacked the Parliament in December 2001, an incident that brought nuclear-armed India and Pakistan to the brink of war. He was also held guilty of being a member of the banned Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, which fights against Indian rule in the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir, where a separatist conflict has claimed up to 100,000 lives. Five armed rebels stormed the Parliament complex in New Delhi on December 13, 2001, killing eight police officers and a gardener before they were shot dead by security forces. A journalist wounded in the attack died months later. A year later, four accused, including Afzal Guru, were arrested for the attack and found guilty after a trial. Security forces imposed a curfew Saturday in parts of Indian-administered Kashmir while the centre of the main city Srinagar was sealed off by police after the execution of a separatist. Troops in large numbers have been fanned out in Kashmir valley. Guru's conviction, which has been delayed on several occasions, was both highly political and hotly contested. He described his imprisonment as a "gross miscarriage of justice" in his mercy appeal to the president. Guru was initially convicted along with Shaukat Hussain, a former student at Delhi University and SAR Geelani, a New Delhi college teacher, who were also handed the death sentence, reserved for the "rarest of rare" cases in India. Their crimes were described as "horrendous, revolting and dastardly" by the Indian judge who tried them. Guru's wife, Afsan Guru, who was found guilty of not disclosing information to police, was also sentenced to five years in prison but had her conviction overturned on appeal. 
Geelani was also released on appeal after two-years of imprisonment, adding to the doubts about the initial trial. 2 persons were injured by security forces in Baramulla district when local residents came out to protest against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. While Bilal Ahmad Gojri injured his thigh after being hit by a teargas shell during protests at Azadgunj in Baramulla town, Firdous Ahmad was hit by a bullet in the arm at Doabgah in Sopore area the hometown of Guru. Guru's family claimed that they were not informed about the execution or rejection of the mercy plea by the President. "We had no idea, we were woken up by people, got to know when things were being debated and posted on facebook," said Yaseen Guru. "We have gotten no letter, no family member has been informed as opposed to what the government is claiming," he added. "He was very peaceful and calm during the final moments. He looked very composed," a top Tihar Jail official said. A resident of Sopore in north Kashmir, 43-year-old Guru was executed at 8 AM near Jail No.3 in a top-secret operation. A magistrate, a doctor and senior prison officials were present during his execution. Another official said Guru was woken up at around 5 AM and was served tea. He offered Namaz immediately after getting up. "He was taken to the gallows at 7:30am," the official said. Asked whether he was remorseless in his final moments, Director General of Prisons Vimla Mehra said, "He was happy and healthy. That answers your question." A doctor carried out a health check up of Guru before he was taken to gallows near his cell. Mehra said normal procedure was followed in the hanging. His body was buried inside the prison complex soon after his execution. "He (Guru) was buried near Jail No.3 with full religious rites," said another Tihar Jail official.Read more...
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