Tombstone of Afzal Guru disappears before it surfaces again

Tombstone of Afzal Guru’s empty grave at Mazar-e-Shahuda (Martyrs Graveyard) reportedly went missing before it surfaced mysteriously at the cemetery on Wednesday.

Police however denied that the gravestone was removed and placed again saying it was a handiwork of mischief mongers to create trouble. “Neither went it missing nor was it put in. It is there as it was yesterday. Some people are trying to create trouble by spreading such canards”, said a police officer.

Earlier Srinagar was agog with rumors that the tombstone was removed from the graveyard. Later the reports came in that it has again been placed at its original place. But no one was able to say who and when the tombstone was removed.

“We came to know this morning that the tombstone was removed. Curfew is in place and there is huge presence of forces in the area”, said Tahir Ahmad Mir, senior vice president of   breakaway faction of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) who had installed the tombstone at the grave reserved for Guru on Tuesday.

Guru was named "Shaheed-e-Watan" (martyr of the nation) and an empty grave was reserved in Mazar-e-Shahuda (Martyrs Graveyard) at Eidgah on Tuesday. This is the second empty grave awaiting mortal remains of a separatist leader in the Mazar-e-Shahuda. A grave of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Mohammad Maqbool Bhat, who was executed and buried in Tihar Jail on February 11 1984, is already reserved in the graveyard since it was established in 1990.

“We condemn the removal of shrine stone of Mohammad Afzal Guru at the martyr’s graveyard. JKLF has kept a grave for the burial of Guru and Mohammad Maqbool Bhat. We inshallah (God Willing) with national consensus and unity will bring back their remains and bury these with honor and dignity in the graves reserved for them”, said acting chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Bashir Ahmad Bhat.

Meanwhile police said situation remained peaceful across the valley so far.Curfew was relaxed in parts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara and Budgam districts at different intervals.

Inspector General of Police SM Sahai said the police force on ground has been directed to exercise maximum restraint while tackling any law and order situation.