Centre rules out handing over Afzal's remains to family

New Delhi, March 3

The Union Home Ministry has ruled out the possibility of handing over the mortal remains of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to his family as the latter was buried as per the jail manual in an unmarked grave.

According to reports, the Ministry has also refused to accept the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) demand for the convict’s mortal remains, saying it has been made for political reasons.

Earlier on Monday, a group of PDP MLAs demanded that the mortal remains of Afzal Guru be handed over to his family.

“The PDP has always maintained that Afzal Guru’s hanging was a travesty of justice and constitutional process was not followed,” read the note which had the endorsement of nine PDP leaders.

Afzal Guru was convicted in the 2003 Parliament attack case and was hanged secretly in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on February 9 last year.

Meanwhile, former Home Secretary RK Singh today said politicians such as Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar should refrain from playing politics on matters of terrorism.

Reacting to Aiyar's statement that the remains of December 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru should be returned to his family, RK Singh said: “People should refrain from doing politics on matters of terrorism.”

He said when various courts of the land, including the Supreme Court, had ruled that Afzal Guru was guilty and deserved to be hanged for his role in the December 13, 2001, terror strike on Parliament, nobody should be questioning that verdict.

He said and asked, “The courts justified Afzal’s involvement (in the attack on Parliament). Is Mani Shankar (Aiyar) higher than the court?”

Aiyar today advocated returning the remains of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to his family. His remarks came soon after the Home Ministry, as per sources, rejected the demand by several PDP leaders to hand over the remains to Afzal’s family.

“I was upset when he (Afzal) was hanged. There wasn’t any conclusive evidence (to hang him),” Aiyar said.

“I think an injustice was done. I was always in favour of returning Afzal Guru’s remains. We can put the issue behind us by handing over the remains,” he said further. --- ANI