Srinagar, Feb 11: Two days after Muhammad Afzal Guru was hanged, his family Monday received intimation from Tihar Jail authorities that he was being executed on February 9.
 However, the family has questioned the authenticity, of the letter saying it has been “scripted to prove government of India’s claims that the communication was sent”.
  “We received the letter at about 11 am today,” said, Yaseen, Guru’s cousin. Guru’s family lives in Doabgah in Sopore town of north Kashmir's Baramulla district.
 The letter (NO FC/SCJ3/AS (W) 2013/189) send from the office of the Superintendent Central Jail No 3, Tihar, New Delhi reads: “The mercy petition of convict Shri Mohd. Afjal s/o Habibillah has been rejected by hon’ble President of India. Hence the execution of Mohd Afjal s/o Habibillah has been fixed for 9/2/2013 at 8 am in Central Jail no 3. This is for your information and further necessary action.”
 At the bottom end of the letter, signed by Superintendent,central jail number-3 Tihar New Delhi, name of Afzal’s wife Tabasum is written.
 As per the details in it the letter has been written by Superintendent Tihar on February 6 but it was dispatched from New Delhi General Posts Office (GPO) to Srinagar (GPO) on February 8- a day before Guru was executed, raising questions as to whether there was a serious effort to inform the family. 
 “We believe the letter has been written on Sunday night only somewhere in Jammu and Kashmir,” Yaseen, said. “This (letter) is a cruel joke by Government of India with our family and entire Kashmir nation. You will nowhere find a government that acts in such a cruel way.”
 Explaining his point Yaseen said when an official of the postal department came to deliver the letter to them this morning “it had no postal stamp of Sopore Post Office”.
 “Seeing it we didn't accept the letter and instead we asked him (employee) that it has no postal stamp,” Yaseen said.
 He said one hour later the official returned with the letter. “But this time it had the postal stamp. I think it has been written last Sunday night to make a point that the letter was dispatched,” Yaseen said.
 The Chief Post Master General, J&K, John Samuels said the letter was dispatched from the GPO New Delhi to Srinagar on February 8.
 “It arrived here on afternoon of February 9 (when Guru was executed). We had no specific information about the letter. Since it was curfew that day which was followed by Sunday, the letter was delivered this morning only,” he said.
 However, on Sunday night Samuel reportedly told media that he had received no such letter.
 “The authorities of the postal department at GPO Srinagar and Baramulla had denied having received any such letter on Sunday,” Yaseen said. “Then where from the letter appeared all of sudden in the morning.” 
 On Saturday morning when Guru was hanged his family said they came to know about his execution only from TV channels and they had not received any communication from government of India about it.
 Though Union Home Secretary R K Singh had said that the family was sent a communication through Speed Post, the Guru family repeatedly rebutted the claims by the Government of India authorities.
 The 43-year old Guru, convicted in the attack on Parliament in 2001 was hanged on Saturday at 8 am in Tihar where he was lodged for the past over a decade. He was buried in the prison premises in a secret operation. The execution came after rejection of his mercy plea by President Pranab Mukherjee on February 3.
 The family has been demanding that the Government of India should return the Guru’s body to them for his burial. They are even planning to travel to New Delhi to seek return of the body.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 IST