SRINAGAR: On the fourth death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, his son Ghalib Guru on Thursday demanded back mortal remains of his father.
Afzal was secretly hanged in Tihar Jail on February 09, 2013 in New Delhi while his body was buried inside the highly fortified jail, the government of India did not hand over his belongings to his family which included books, radio set, glasses and other things.
However, Ghalib even questioned the resistance leadership for failing to bring back the mortal remains of his father.
“Hurriyat (Conference) leaders promised to bring my father’s remains back home but with time they have forgotten the promises they once made,” he said. “Have our leaders forgotten what my father did for the Kashmir nation?”
Ghalib said, “I will never forget the day when I saw my father for the first time. It was in Delhi’s Tees Hazari court in 2004. He had chains around his neck, ankles and hands. After taking permission from a police officer, he came and sat beside us. He took me in his arms. I cried a lot at first because I felt scared at seeing this strange man with a long beard and in chains. But when he put his specs down and kissed my forehead, I stopped crying and all of a sudden I called him papa.”
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Afzal Guru’s widow Tabassum said that she expected the world’s biggest democracy to at least return to her the diary in which her husband wrote about his time in jail, his copy of the holy Quran, his radio, his spectacles, his clothes and his books.
Routine life was disrupted in Kashmir valley as many parts of the region observed a shutdown to mark the fourth death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on Thursday. Security restrictions were imposed on several parts of old Srinagar city. Authorities also suspended Banihal-Baramulla train service on Wednesday. Official sources told Mirror that train service will remain suspended on Feb 9, 10 and 11 for the security of passengers.
Clashes erupted in Sopore town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Thursday after youth staged a protest against the hanging of Afzal Guru. They also demanded his mortal remains be brought back to his home.
The resistance leadership have called for the shutdown in the Valley. They have also called for a complete shutdown on February 11, the death anniversary of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat. He was convicted of murder and was also hanged in Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984, and his remains were not returned to his family either.
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