Tihar puts execution preparationson hold

NEW DELHI: With Mohmmad Afzal Guru’s family filing a clemency petition before the President, the Tihar jail authorities have put on hold the arrangements it was making for hanging of the Parliament attack convict on October 20.

“We have been informed that Afzal’s clemency petition is under consideration. So the arrangements for the execution have been put on hold,” Tihar jail sources said on Thursday.

Once the date for execution of Afzal was fixed by the Supreme Court, the jail authorities had started preparations, including identifying a hangman to carry out the execution. “We have for the time being stopped the search for a hangman,” the sources said.

Meanwhile, Afzal’s wife Tabassum met the President for 20 minutes today. “The President assured us that he will go through our petition seeking clemency for Afzal,” she said after the meeting.