In another
masterful and top secret operation, the second in three months, the Government
of India executed the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Afzal Guru in the national
capital’s Tihar Jail at 8 am yesterday.
Justice was delivered after long eleven years. On the fateful day of 13th
December 2001 a stunning attack was carried out on the Indian Parliament in
session and within 48 hours of the attack Afzal Guru was hauled up by the
police. He was held responsible for plotting and planning this daring attack
right on India’s
sovereignty. Afzal Guru was sentenced to death and the Supreme Court of India
confirmed it in 2005. Guru’s wife appealed for clemency with the President of
India and the death penalty had been pending since then. The terrorist had been
lodged in a high security isolated cell in Tihar Jail since 2001 and yesterday,
the 9th of February 2013, he was hanged just a few meters away. The
jail authorities informed about his burial inside the jail premises later.
Why the great
delay? Politics? Yes, say the opposition political leaders in view of the 2014
General Elections and the alleged non-performance of the coalition government. The
Government of India said it was done in due process of law and any
politicization of the issue would be unfortunate. At the same time Congress
leaders in Maharashtra reportedly introspected
on the possibility of early elections. The main opposition party BJP had to
welcome the execution, but said the delay was immensely political. The BJP had
been using the delay in Afzal Guru Execution issue as a major political plank
and while questioned on its possible loss now of an election campaign for 2014
the party countered by saying that the Government had to do it thanks to the
BJP’s intense public opinion drive. Politics of words and of taking credit?
The BJP also
alleged that the execution was carried out just to balance the repercussions
caused by the statement made by the Indian Home Minister on right-wing terrorism recently. This brings us
deeper into the Indian terror politicking scenario.
In this country
terrorists are known more for their statehood or religion or any related
parameter and less for the cowardly acts they commit to annihilate innocents.
Terror gets classified as per such parameters and every class is blatantly and
stoutly defended by its loyal supporters. The Kashmir valley had been put under indefinite curfew and stray incidents of violence
were reported since yesterday. Why? Because terrorist Afzal Guru was a Kashmiri
and his state and religious supporters including his family considered him
innocent. Just the same way fiendish terrorists belonging to other state or
religion garner blind support for themselves. Parameters stretching up to
language, castes and colors continue to be the cross currents of the Indian
politicking that often causes interference, hindrance and intolerance. Politics
of diversity?
To take this
murky point a little further people always against the death penalty expressed
the sentiments that no person should be hanged in a civilized society. Now,
they consider the society ‘civilized’ only when brutal terrorists or criminals
or rapists face capital punishment, and not when innocents get killed, murdered
and raped anytime day or night, anywhere and almost every day. Politics of ‘human’
rights? Anyway, as we have said earlier, ours not to reason why…!
Politics or not,
a terrorist gets his deserving punishment that at least makes the kin of the
victims happy. A strong message also goes out for terrorists, criminals and
rapists. Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru dealt with in three months. Justice finally
gets delivered, better late than never.
