India Execution: Justice Done? Slug: India death penalty Date: 14/02/2013 Reporter: Bismillah Geelani IN R!

It"s the se#ond death penalty #arried out in India in less than 3 months$ he Indian go%ernment e&e#uted 'ohammad ()*al Guru+ a ,ashmiri 'uslim #on%i#ted o) the 2001 terrorist atta#- on the Indian .arliament$ Guru /as in)ormed o) the go%ernment"s de#ision 0ust a )e/ hours ahead o) his e&e#ution+ /hile his )amily in ,ashmir )irst heard the ne/s )rom national tele%ision$ (s Bismillah Geelani reports+ many ha%e /el#omed the e&e#ution 1ut others )ear it #ould lead to more %iolen#e in ,ashmir$ 23 S4351 Sounds )rom the #ele1ration site In Ne/ Delhi"s 6antar 'antar s7uare do*ens o) a#ti%ists )rom the 8indu nationalist group+ Shi%e Sena+ are handing out s/eets and setting o)) )ire #ra#-ers$ hey are #ele1rating the e&e#ution o) 'ohammad ()*al Guru$ 6ai Bhag/an Goyal is the group"s leader$ Goyal 9:I. 1 ; '(:2 8INDI < = he entire nation is #ele1rating /ith 0oy the ne/s that the person /ho atta#-ed our .arliament+ the greatest temple o) our #ountry+ has 1een put to death$ his is a real tri1ute to the > soldiers /ho lost their li%es during the atta#- and /ill 1ring a sense o) #losure to the 1erea%ed )amilies$ It /ill also send a strong message that anyone /ho har1ours e%il intentions against India /ill not 1e spared$? Guru /as senten#ed to death 1y a spe#ial anti5terrorism #ourt in Ne/ Delhi in 2002$ he Supreme 9ourt upheld the de#ision and turned do/n Guru"s petition )or a re%ie/$ 2arlier this month+ the .resident re0e#ted the mer#y plea )iled 1y his /i)e$ Ra%i Shan-ar .rasad+ a spo-esperson )or the B6.+ the main opposition party+ says there"s a poli#y o) *ero toleran#e )or terrorism$ .rasad 9:I. 1 ;'(:2 8INDI< = he e&e#ution o) ()*al Guru /as part o) a legal and 0udi#ial pro#ess /hi#h should ha%e ta-en pla#e mu#h earlier$ he atta#- on the Indian .arliament 12 years ago /as an atta#- on India$ I) any o) the terrorists had 1een a1le to enter inside .arliament /ith an (,54@ ri)le+ the li%es o) nearly all the top leaders o) most politi#al parties in the #ountry /ould ha%e 1een in dangerA in )a#t many /ould ha%e 1een -illed$ Su#h

/as the enormity o) the atta#-$ here has 1een a serious delay in ta-ing the de#ision+ 1ut it"s )inally done$? But not all are #on%in#ed$ S)&52 Sounds )rom the .R! 2S (midst the #ele1rations in Ne/ Delhi+ there are %oi#es o) protest #ondemning the hanging$ ( group o) protesters are shouting /hile holding pla#ards /hi#h read =Be are all ()*al Guru$ 8o/ many o) us /ould you -illC? ,a%ita ,rishnan is the Se#retary o) the (ll India .rogressi%e Bomen"s (sso#iation$ ,rishnan 9:I. 1 ; 42'(:2 2NG:IS8 < =Be really don"t -no/ the truth$ 9ourt says DBe -no/ he is not the main #onspirator+ /e -no/ he is at 1est a pa/n 1ut /e must hang him 1e#ause the #olle#ti%e #ons#ien#e o) our so#iety demands it"$ I )eel mysel) to 1e a part o) the #olle#ti%e #ons#ien#e o) the so#iety and my #ons#ien#e #annot allo/ that a man /ho possi1ly may 1e inno#ent /as hanged /ithout the nation 1eing in)ormed+ /ithout his /i)e 1eing told /ithout his 1eing a1le to meet his son$ It is a day o) great sadness that this #ould happen in a demo#rati# #ountry$ Be /ant the truth a1out the .arliament atta#- #ase to 1e -no/n+ today the truth has 1een 1uried+ the truth has 1een hanged$? Guru"s trial has 1een one o) the most #ontro%ersial in India$ 8uman rights a#ti%ists+ a#ademi#s and legal e&perts ha%e %oi#ed serious #on#erns+ arguing that he /as not gi%en a )air #han#e to de)end himsel)$ Senior Supreme 9ourt (d%o#ate Sushil ,umar represented Guru in the Supreme 9ourt$ ,umar 9:I. 1 ; '(:2 2NG:IS8 < =Eou loo- to the other man+ /ho /as hanged re#ently )or Bom1ay atta#-$ he state pro%ided him a good la/yer at e%ery stage right up to Supreme 9ourt$ Eou #ompare ()*al Guru"s #ase /ith that one+ you /ill )ind e%erything la#-ing$ In the Supreme 9ourt he arranged )rom his o/n resour#es my ser%i#es 1ut right up to the 8igh 9ourt or in the trial #ourt the re#ord is so sha11y$ 8e ne%er had a )air trial there$ But on#e he /as #on%i#ted 1y the trial #ourt it got stamped+ that"s all$? 4earing a 1a#-lash )rom ,ashmiri groups+ the go%ernment 1uried Guru"s 1ody inside the grounds o) Delhi"s ihar 6ail$ he entire ,ashmir %alley is no/ under stri#t #ur)e/$ But some protests ha%e 1ro-en out and at least 4 people ha%e 1een -illed$ In the early 1>F0s the ,ashmiri separatist leader 'a71ool Bhat /as also hanged in ihar 6ail$ he hanging is 1elie%ed to ha%e dri%en many young ,ashmiris to ta-e up arms$ ,hurram .ar%e*+ )rom the 6ammu and ,ashmir 9oalition o) 9i%il So#iety+ )ears that the response to Guru"s hanging #ould 1e e%en more %iolent$

.ar%e* 9:I. 2 ; '(:2 GRDG < =Bhen they hanged 'a71ool Bhat+ they radi#alised an entire generation o) ,ashmiris and militan#y erupted+ no/ it"s another generation they are pushing to the edge$ hey are not lea%ing them /ith any #hoi#e$ he only alternati%e )or them is more %iolen#e 1e#ause there is no room )or politi#al dissent$ he entire politi#al spa#e has 1een #ho-ed$ he separatists ha%e already de#lared Guru a martyr and the demand to return his 1ody to his )amily )or 1urial in ,ashmir has re#ei%ed /ide support$ 4rom Ne/ Delhi+ this is Bismillah Geelani )or (sia 9alling$