Afzal's Body Not Likely To Be Given To Family

New Delhi: The body of Afzal Guru buried in Tihar jail premises is not likely to be handed over to his family, officials said.

"The ministry has decided not to give the body to his family and the Jammu and Kashmir government will be informed about it soon," a home ministry source told IANS.

The family had demanded handing over of Afzal Guru's body after his Feb 9 execution for the attack on the Indian parliament. The family had written to the government requesting for the body.

Afzal Guru, 43, was hanged inside jail number 3 in Tihar and buried near his solitary cell Feb 9 morning.

Sources said that the decision not to give his family the body has been taken in view of the law and order condition of Jammu and Kashmir.

The family had earlier wanted to perform his last rites inside the jail, but they later decided against it and instead demanded that the body be handed over to them. They have even refused to take back his belongings which are with the jail authorities.

Speaking to IANS on phone from Sopore in the Kashmir Valley, Afzal Guru's cousin Yasin said: "They executed someone without informing his family members... There is no question of not giving back the body."

He said the family was expecting "some positive response" from the government.

Last week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had told Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde that Afzal Guru's family should have been informed before his execution.