Why didn’t Afzal Guru get remission: J&K parties

JAMMU: The leniency granted by the SC to Rajiv Gandhi murder convicts has prompted political parties in J&K to remark that Afzal Guru was given a raw deal. The issue could become a poll issue despite the fact that the number of years Guru spent in jail was almost half of that spent by the Tamil convicts.

Guru, who was convicted for the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack by Laskhare-Taiba, was suddenly and secretly hanged last year, after an inordinate delay in deciding his mercy plea. He was also denied a chance to challenge the rejection of his mercy plea and his family was not informed about the hanging on time.

“The SC has made people of J&K realise that there are separate yardsticks for Kashmir and rest of India,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said. “I think people in J&K are now sure they have always been discriminated against.” She said she wished Rahul Gandhi should have mentioned Guru while expressing his opposition to death sentence. “Guru was executed secretly,” she said. “There was not much evidence against him but he was hanged to satisfy the collective conscience of the country.”