Five Years after Indian Parliament Attack

By Animesh Roul

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of Parliament attack, political parties, civil society groups have started a debate of sort on the fate of main convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, a former Jaish-e-Mohammed terorist, who is serving a death sentence and waiting for clemency from President of India.

Afzal Guru’s execution scheduled on Oct.20 was postponed on grounds such as 1) he might be innocent, 2) the execution was scheduled to take place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and 3) family members had submitted a clemency petition to the president.

Fourteen people, including the terrorists have been killed in Dec.2001 terrorist attack on the Parliament building. [For A Complete Archive Click Here]

The government is under tremendous pressure and in a fix right now. The relatives of the nine security personnel killed in the attack urged the government that they would return the honors conferred posthumously if the Government failed to announce its decision on Afzal by Wednesday (Dec.13). The Opposition BJP members walked out of the Lower House following the accusation of provoking and misleading the relatives of those killed in the attack.

Besides, on Dec. 9, Intelligence sources indicated that a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit could hijack an aircraft possibly to neighboring Bangladesh to seek the release of Mohammed Afzal Guru or demand the clemency. Many fear that there could be a repetition of Dec. 1999 infamous IC-814 Kandhar hijack case and subsequent hostage and terrorist swap.

Although a nationwide debate in support of the death sentence and against it will continue for some time now (the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil indicated that it was unlikely that the Government would arrive at a early decision on Mohammad Afzal Guru's clemency petition), the implementation of the sentence might ignite protests in Jammu and Kashmir (his home state) and elsewhere and also terrorist attacks on vital installations.

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