Written three days after rejection of mercy plea, it was dispatched by Speed Post a day before execution
The Union government’s communication on the dismissal of Tabassum’s mercy petition by the President and its decision to hang her husband Mohammad Afzal Guru at the Tihar Jail in New Delhi on February 9 reached her at Sopore only on Monday.
Afzal’s cousin Mohammad Yasin Guru confirmed to The Hindu that Ghulam Mohammad Ganai of Doabgah village, in charge of the Sopore post office’s local branch, visited Jageer in the forenoon and delivered the sealed letter to Ms. Tabassum.
The February 6 letter was signed by the Superintendent of Jail No: 3 and dispatched through Speed Post from a New Delhi post office on the morning of February 8. It read: “The mercy petition of convict Sh Mohd. Afjal Guru, S/o Habibillah, has been rejected by [the] Hon’ble President of India. Hence the execution of Mohd. Afjal Guru, S/o Habibillah, has been fixed for 09/02/2013 at 8 A.M.. in Central Jail no-3. This is for your information and further necessary action.”
Ms. Tabassum was present with her family at Jageer, 6 km from Sopore, when the letter arrived. She received it and informed her family.
On Saturday, after Guru was hanged, Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh told journalists in New Delhi that the family had been informed of the execution through a letter sent by Speed Post.
But seals and signatures on the communication make it clear that the letter was written on February 6, or three days after the mercy petition was rejected, and dispatched only a day before the execution.
That the Government sent the information about Guru's execution two days later is in itself not decent.But for the Media to publicize the Government's inefficiency has inadvertanly given his followers and separatists enough cause not only Matyrize him but also incite them further to adopt violent means to fight for their cause.It would have been better to bury Delhi's stupidity.
This govt. has a habit of making heros out of zeros. Nothing would have lost if Afzal family had been allowed one last time to meet Afzal. If Afzal could be hanged secretly, so is the possibility of keeping his meeting with his family a secret. It is a needless controversy to say the least.
Can this government do anything right? Hope that at least the electorate would do the
right thing at the next election.
Did the terrorists send a letter,e-mail or make a phone call before the brutal attack on our parliamant ?
Why this pseudo-humanism by all the people.
They feel a problem either 'Why hang' or "why no hang".
India's Home Secretary sent the communication through speed post needs
to be congratulated.
Anyone responsible from Indian Government can answer, why Afzal's family was not informed on time before the hanging? I don't understand why it must be so secretive? What they achieved by this coward act?
It is very heartening to know that government cannot provide even the basic rights to its citizen. It should have given a chance to afzal's family for meetings and prayers. In such a high technology era, govt is still keeping its faith in indian postal system. There could be many other options like FAX, email etc. This only indicates that it did not want anyone to meet Afzal. Afzal was a terrorist but neither were her mother, wife and kid.
Govt has committed a great crime by not allowing his family and conduting secret
execution.
At least he should have been allowed to meet his family one last time,
to say final good bye. His innocent son would have got a chance to meet
his father one last time, and they have not even handed over his body.
This way of secret execution is a totally coward act by the government
and such things happen anyway in a country like us.
However heinous the crime, this is no way to treat a human being. Shame on the government. Justice should not have to hide behind red tape and bureaucracy to ensure proper delivery.
Afzal's family has been treated most unjustly.
Why was the government in such a haste? They should have at the least
facilitated for the family to visit him for the last time. Concealing
the news about his execution from the media is acceptable to a certain
degree but the family must have been made to know about his execution
ahead enough to pay him a last visit. The pain that the boy must have
undergone might result in negative repercussions.
Sincerely believe that hanging of Kasab and Afzal prior to two
important parliamentary sessions is a mere political stunt by the
government.
it is very sad that in this age of technology we send speed posts for such urgent communications, as if we are living in 1947. speed posts normally take 4-6 days to reach Srinagar.
These type of manipulative actions are highly frequent in our polity and
bureaucracy,but this has extended to this level is shameful to our
nation. A family not being informed properly about the execution of the
bread winner. Actual democracy should not be in papers it should be
practised
There is something fishy about this hanging. There is more to this story. Afzal was surrendered militant who worked for notorious Army's Special Operation Group. Afzal was following orders from his bosses Devender Singh & others. He provided the logistics for the job. This seems to be a insider job. Irony is that real culprits are still roaming free.
Well said, Syed!
Whether death sentence should be there or not is a debatable point. But courts particularly highest court should apply highest and consistent standards. Same standards are not applied for capital punishment. It is very evident that in case of rape of minor daughter and later murder of daughter and wife, it was considered "not rarest of rare". It is strange the same judge chose to consider kidnap and murder of a boy "rarest of rare".
In Afzal Guru's case, the way the hanging was handled by the Govt leaves much to be desired. It shows very casual attitude of the powers that be. That they are not even able to communicate in time makes a very sad reading.
Peaceful living of Indians possess paramount importance than collective
conscience. If the peaceful living is disrupted in terms of arson,
rampage. Won't people question Government?
There are contexts where Government has to act wisely to save people
from such dangers. That's why Government resorted to this plan. Kindly
think twice before criticising any one.
Only shows how callous and blatantly shameless the government can be.
And keeps wondering why Kashmiris have no trust in the Indian
government!!
Indian tragedy again: 2 days after the hanging Guru the family gets
officially notified for "your information & necessary action".
We call this country a democracy, where the rule of law combined with
a sense of compassion or proportion and context is administered. I do
not know if this would mean in India: it is up to the jailer or
whatever authority you have to ensure the family get to see the guy
before he/she goes to gallows. Now I would appreciate someone in the
bureaucracy to explain the meaning of "..necessary action". Crime is
certainly to be punished, but the way we do things are shameful for
the whole world to see.
I agree with Syed 100%. Well said. The State has to hold itself up to much higher standards.
And that has nothing to do with either Afzal's guilt or the appropriateness of the death
penalty.
Why the Hindu is posting the family picture of Afzal guru , who received
the capital punishment for his deeds . Such pictures would unnecessarily
invokes sentiments in people's mind and might put a seed of sympathy for
Atzal. It may also make the life miserable for the family in society.
Afzal Guru is hanged and the issue is completed now.
What a cruel heartless monstrous way to communicate such an important life & death matter!shame on the govt!
Typical babu behaviour ..... Hang a man and send a letter by post to inform his family. Even
if he was a terrorist there is such a thing as decency. Common courtesy and humanity
require that his child deserved to see his father one last time. This gentleman who is our
Home Secretary personifies the arrogance of the Indian bureaucracy through this act .... not
to mention stupidity .... presumably he and his minister think this behaviour will endear the
Indian government to the Kashmiri public.
plainly, his human rights have been willfully violated
very well said syed. as a part of this country,his family should have been informed about his execution.
Collective conscience of the Nation should be satisfied by open and transparent hanging not by hasty, furtive, timid and secretive hanging. The family should be informed, the Nation should be informed and the formality of last family union should have been facilitated. Afzal may be a criminal in the eyes of law but his son Ghalib is an Indian Citizen and not a criminal. Why should he be deprived of meeting his Father one last time. After all India should be an open and transparent democracy.
We should thank the home secretary for informing the DGP of J&K about the hanging not through the speed-post. Certainly, the preparations to curb the protests is more important than the union of a to-be-killed person and his wife and their son for the last time.
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