Afzal Guru execution rocks J&K Assembly on first day of budget session

The architect of `Save Afzal Guru resolution’ and independent MLA  from Langate Sheikh Abdul Rasheed aka Engineer Rasheed was forcibly evicted from the J&K assembly for raising Guru execution issue, even as the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) boycotted the governor's address and staged a protest dharna outside the House on Thursday.

Carrying a placard, Rasheed stood up from his seat and tried to interrupt the governor's address by raising Guru execution issue. However the marshals immediately swung into action and forcibly evicted him from the House.

“I was marshaled out twice from the House. First they evicted me when governor was addressing the House which is unconstitutional because a member cannot be marshaled out during joint address. Secondly they got me evicted when I raised the issue during the obituary motion”, said Rasheed.

Even as Rasheed was up in arms inside the House, PDP president and leader of the opposition Mehbooba Mufti was sitting on a dharna along with her MLAs outside to protest against the execution of Guru on February 9.

Shouting slogans, the PDP legislators said the governments of Tamil Nadu and Punjab have opposed death sentences to killers of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former chief minister of Punjab Beant Singh, but the Jammu and Kashmir government has rather "facilitated the execution of Guru".

“Guru was deprived of his legal right and hanged secretly in unholy manner. It was also failure of the present regime that family of Guru was deprived of their right as they were not given prior information of his execution. Further, the family is still deprived of the mortal remains of Afzal Guru”, said Naeem Akthar, PDP chief spokesman.

PDP later moved adjournment Motion in the Assembly to discuss situation arise in the state after execution of Guru and delay in the return of the mortal remains of Guru.

“The party has informed that resolution has already being given to the Speaker for discussion on these two issues in the assembly on Friday”, Akthar said.