Chronological Events: Afzal Guru’s Hanging

TNI Bureau: Parliament attack convict Mohammed Afzal Guru was hanged on Saturday at the Tihar jail. According to Union Home Secretary RK Singh, he will be buried inside the jail and his body would not be given to his family members. The tough decision came days before the Budget session of Parliament.

Here is the chronology of events leading to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist Guru’s execution:

Dec 13, 2001: Five terrorists entered Parliament complex and opened fire, killing nine people and leaving over 15 injured.

Dec 15, 2001: Delhi Police picked up Afzal Guru from Jammu and Kashmir and SAR Geelani of Delhi University’s Zakir Hussain College for questioning and later arrested. Two others – Afsan Guru and her husband Shaukat Hussain Guru – were arrested later.

Dec 29, 2001: Afzal Guru was sent to 10-day police remand.

June 4, 2002: Charges were framed against four – Afzal Guru, Geelani, Shaukat Hussain Guru, and Afsan Guru.

Dec 18, 2002: Death sentence was awarded to SAR Geelani, Shaukat Hussain Guru and Afzal Guru by a special POTA court in Delhi. However, Afsan Guru was acquitted.

Aug 30, 2003: JeM leader Ghazi Baba, who was the prime accused in the Parliament attack, was killed in an encounter with the Border Security Force (BSF) in Srinagar.

Oct 29, 2003: Geelani was acquitted by the Delhi Bench of the High Court in the Parliament attack case.

Aug 4, 2005: The Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence of Afzal Guru, rejecting his plea that had challeged a Delhi Court’s verdict. The apex court commuted Shaukat Hussain Guru’s death sentence to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.

Oct 3, 2006: Afzal Guru’s wife Tabasum Guru filed a mercy petition with then President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Jan 12, 2007: The Supreme Court dismissed Guru’s review petition against his death sentence.

May 19, 2010: Delhi government rejected Guru’s mercy petition, endorsed death sentence awarded to him by the Supreme Court and Delhi court.

Dec 30, 2010: Shaukat Hussain Guru was released from Tihar Jail.

Dec 10, 2012: Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that Guru’s file would be examined after Parliament’s winter session concludes on December 22.

Jan 21, 2013: The Home Ministry recommended death sentence of Guru.

Feb 3, 2013: President Pranab Mukherjee rejected Guru’s mercy petition.

Feb 9, 2013: Afzal Guru was hanged at 8 am in Tihar Jail.