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New Delhi:
A day after the execution of Afzal Guru, his family members
demanded that his spectacles, clothes and a radio be returned to
them, but a Tihar Jail official Sunday said the government was yet
to take a decision on the issue.
"Afzal Guru's wife Tabassum and his family members have already
demanded his body so that the last rites could be performed in
accordance with Islam," Afzal Guru's cousin Yaseen Guru told IANS
on phone from Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir.
"For the family, Afzal Guru's spectacles, a radio - which he used
to hear in jail - and clothes have a lot of significance," he
said.
Yaseen Guru said the family is also planning to visit New Delhi to
take up the matter with jail authorities.
"His spectacles are most precious for Tabassum and their
12-year-old son Ghalib. If the government cannot give his body to
us, then at least they should return his belongings," said Yaseen
Guru.
A Tihar Jail official, on condition of anonymity, told IANS:
"According to the jail manual, an executed prisoners' property has
to be returned to the family."
However, talking to IANS, Director General (Prisons) Vimla Mehra
said: "Afzal Guru's belongings are in our possession. The
government will take a decision whether his body or his belongings
are to be given to the family."
Afzal Guru, convicted in the 2001 parliament attack, was hanged in
Tihar Jail Saturday and buried quietly soon after.
"It is the family's right to get back his belongings from the
jail. We will meet government officials and (make a) demand for
it," said Afzal Guru's lawyer N.D. Pancholi.
Soon after Afzal Guru's execution, Pancholi wrote to the Tihar
Jail chief on behalf of the convict's family, seeking permission
to perform his last rites in accordance with their religious
traditions.
To prevent any untoward situation following the execution, Delhi
continued to be on alert Sunday while Delhi University lecturer
S.A.R. Geelani, who was allegedly detained, said he had been
advised to stay home.
"Delhi continues to be on alert and Quick Reaction Teams have been
asked to be prepared for any untoward incident or protests," said
a senior Delhi Police officer.
Geelani, who teaches at Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University,
was allegedly picked up by Delhi Police's Special Cell Saturday.
Some other leaders from Kashmir were also detained.
Geelani was arrested Dec 2001 for his alleged involvement in the
parliament attack of Dec 13, 2001. He was acquitted by the Supreme
Court in 2003.
"They (police) did not want me to speak to the media, so they
detained me. They took me to the Special Cell offices in New
Friends Colony," Geelani told IANS.
Delhi Police claimed they did not detain Geelani. However, police
sources admitted that some people were being "monitored" as a
preventive measure.
Geelani said that he had been let off at 10 p.m. Saturday and has
been "advised" not to go out of his house.
Police also detained Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani,
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and journalist Iftikhar Gilani in Delhi.
A minor clash broke out between the right-wing Hindu groups and
protesting Kashmiri youths at Jantar Mantar in the heart of Delhi
Saturday.
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