Afzal Guru hanged in Delhi for Parliament attack

New Delhi: Afzal Guru, convicted for his role in the attack on Parliament in 2001, was executed at 8 this morning at Delhi's Tihar Jail, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has said. He will be buried at the jail, where he has spent nearly eight years on death row. The Home Ministry had recommended the death sentence for Guru on January 23, sources said, and President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition a few days ago, clearing the way for his hanging. He was led to gallows at 7.30 this morning. In the Kashmir Valley, in and around Guru's hometown of Sopore, a curfew has been imposed to prevent violent reactions. Many believe Afzal Guru was not given a fair trial. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said repeatedly that guru's hanging could have grave consequences. In 2004, Afzal Guru was given the death sentence by the Supreme Court. His hanging, scheduled for October 20, 2006, was stayed after his wife filed the mercy petition, which had been pending with the President's office since. The main opposition party, the BJP, has for long questioned the delay. The politically-sensitive decision to go ahead with the execution is aimed at signalling the government's commitment to fighting terror. In November, in a similar secret operation, Pakistani terrorist Ajman Kasab, caught during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, was executed at a jail in Pune. In December 2001, five heavily-armed terrorists drove into the Parliament complex and opened fire. Nine people were killed, most of them members of the security forces. All the terrorists were shot dead. Both Houses of Parliament had just been adjourned and many MPs and ministers, including then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani were still inside. A few days later, Afzal Guru was arrested and accused of planning the attack. Source: NDTV