 NEW DELHI - The execution of a Kashmiri man sentenced to death for his role in the 2001 Indian parliament attack has been delayed until the president answers his call for clemency, officials said on Thursday. Islamic rebels in Indian Kashmir have warned of “dire revenge consequences” if India executes Mohammed Afzal Guru, and the restive region has seen a string of protests.
| Sea of fire, etc, ... oops, wrong seething. |
Last month a New Delhi judge set October 20 for Guru’s hanging, but the 35-year-old has been granted a reprieve since a presidential appeal has been made, presidential spokesman S.M. Khan told AFP. “It has been deferred as he has filed the mercy petition,” Khan said. “It is normal procedure to defer execution when such a petition is filed,” he said.
| "Shouldn't take more than a day or so," he added. |
Guru was convicted of plotting the December 13, 2001 raid on the national legislature that left 14 people dead, including the five attackers, and brought nuclear-armed India and Pakistan close to war. But GuruÂ’s relatives have asked President Abdul Kalam to spare his life, arguing the he did not recieve a fair trial.
He had been scheduled to die in New Delhi’s notorious Tihar prison at day-break on Friday. A prison official also confirmed that last-minute work on the gallows was on hold. “Normal chores like getting the executioner at place, the medical examination of the condemned prisoner, the grant of a last wish or arrangements for religious services will be done only after we receive fresh orders,” the prison official, who asked no to be named, told AFP. |