2001 Parliament attack plotter hanged

[Saddle Bronc 124]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-21392156

Afzal Guru: Delhi parliament attack plotter hanged

2013/02/09 01:36 ET

Afzal Guru's appeal for clemency was rejected

A Kashmiri militant sentenced to death over a 2001 plot to attack India's parliament has been hanged after his final clemency plea was rejected.

Officials said Mohammed Afzal Guru, who had been on death row since 2002, was executed at Tihar jail near Delhi.

Afzal Guru had always denied plotting the attack, which left 14 dead.

India has stepped up security and announced a curfew in Indian-administered Kashmir, where news of the execution was expected to spark unrest.

Executions are very rare in India - Afzal Guru's was only the second since 2004, after Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving attacker from the 2008 Mumbai attack was executed in November.

"This is only about the law taking its course," Home Secretary RK Singh said.

Pakistan-backed attack?

Hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in towns and cities across Indian-administered Kashmir to try to contain any unrest sparked by the execution.

Claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, Kashmir has been a flashpoint for more than 60 years and two wars have been fought over it.

The December 2001 attack was one of the most controversial incidents in recent Indian history, correspondents say.

The 2001 Delhi parliament attack The 2001 attack left 14 people, including five militants, dead

Five rebels stormed India's parliament in Delhi on 13 December 2001, killing a gardener and eight policemen before they were shot dead by security forces.

India blamed the attack on the Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group, which it said was backed by Pakistan.

Pakistan denied involvement in the attack but relations between the two countries nosedived as their armies massed about a million troops along the border.

Afzal Guru, a former fruit seller, was one of two men sentenced to death for helping to plan the attack, although the sentence of Shaukat Hussain was later reduced on appeal to 10 years in jail.

Guru was found guilty of arranging weapons for the attackers and of membership of Jaish-e-Mohammed, both of which he denied.

Two other people accused in the case, SAR Geelani and Afsan Guru, were acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

Afzal Guru's appeal was first refused by the Supreme Court and then the president.

[^_^ 5,021]

Perfect timing. Just when the opposition's allegations that the government is soft on terror were starting to gain traction in the media. Way to change the narrative!

[catknit 144]

[quote name=' timestamp='1360426332' post='5969896]

Perfect timing. Just when the opposition's allegations that the government is soft on terror were starting to gain traction in the media. Way to change the narrative!

Exactly!

We've been on the phone with fam a few times in the last day trying to see how things are in the valley. This has all the hallmarks of turning Srinagar into a hot mess just like the summer of 2010. Cable tv has been shut down as has internet access in some areas. Nevermind that they haven't been able to text in the valley for years now...it's weirdly like house arrest for an entire city when these curfews are called. I don't think this is one of the "shoot on site" curfews. That always makes the hubster super anxious.

If you really look into the case and Geelani's charges and lack of conviction and then look at this guy and his death sentence - it's very similar to the US. Connections and a good attorney [aka being wealthy or friends of the wealthy] make all the difference in the world.

[^_^ 5,021]

Exactly!

We've been on the phone with fam a few times in the last day trying to see how things are in the valley. This has all the hallmarks of turning Srinagar into a hot mess just like the summer of 2010. Cable tv has been shut down as has internet access in some areas. Nevermind that they haven't been able to text in the valley for years now...it's weirdly like house arrest for an entire city when these curfews are called. I don't think this is one of the "shoot on site" curfews. That always makes the hubster super anxious.

If you really look into the case and Geelani's charges and lack of conviction and then look at this guy and his death sentence - it's very similar to the US. Connections and a good attorney [aka being wealthy or friends of the wealthy] make all the difference in the world.

I was stuck outside during a shoot at sight once. This was around the Babri Masjid time. Not in Kashmir though. Allahabad. That ####### is scary.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

[quote name=' timestamp='1360428288' post='5969945]

I was stuck outside during a shoot at sight once. This was around the Babri Masjid time. Not in Kashmir though. Allahabad. That ####### is scary.

I think people forget that not everybody plays by the same rules as they do in the U.S. I remember getting drawn down on by several guys in blue fatigues and automatic weapons while in Mexico, for a dumb drunk prank. Lucky for me, I was dismissed as a stupid American and released on the spot. Note to self: Do not set off fireworks outside an armory.

[^_^ 5,021]

I think people forget that not everybody plays by the same rules as they do in the U.S. I remember getting drawn down on by several guys in blue fatigues and automatic weapons while in Mexico, for a dumb drunk prank. Lucky for me, I was dismissed as a stupid American and released on the spot. Note to self: Do not set off fireworks outside an armory.

[Ban Hammer 13,570]

I think people forget that not everybody plays by the same rules as they do in the U.S. I remember getting drawn down on by several guys in blue fatigues and automatic weapons while in Mexico, for a dumb drunk prank. Lucky for me, I was dismissed as a stupid American and released on the spot. Note to self: Do not set off fireworks outside an armory.

:rofl: