Tabassum Guru is a Kashmiri woman and widow of Indian Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, who was sentenced to three life terms and double death sentence.
Contents
- 1 Wiki/Biography
- 2 Physical Appearance
- 3 Family
- 4 Religion
- 5 livelihood
- 6 An unpleasant experience in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
- 7 Afzal Guru – Double death sentence
- 8 mercy petition for husband
- 9 Afzal’s last letter
- 10 hanging of afzal guru
- 11 memory of husband
- 12 Afzal’s involvement in the attack – did Tabassum know?
- 13 Tabassum’s life in Sopore
- 14 Facts/General Knowledge
Wiki/Biography
Tabassum Guru was born in 1979 (age 43 years; as of 2022) in Azad Gunj village in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Physical Appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye colour: dark brown
Family
Tabassum Guru belongs to a Muslim family.
parents and siblings
His father’s name is Ghulam Mohammad Bhuro. She has one older sister.
husband and children
On 1 November 1998, Tabassum married her cousin Mohammad Afzal Guru at the age of eighteen. Tabassum and Afzal were blessed with a son, Ghalib Guru.
Photograph of Afzal Guru and Tabassum Guru at the wedding of one of their relatives.
Tabassum Guru and Afzal Guru
Tabassum Guru with his son Ghalib Guru
Religion
Tabassum Guru follows the religion of Islam.
livelihood
take care
Tabassum Guru works as a nurse
At Sopore Nursing Home, a private nursing home in Sopore city, located in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir.
An unpleasant experience in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
In an interview, Tabassum shared an incident that happened a few months after her marriage with Afzal. Tabassum shared a fact that whenever they went out for shopping, Afzal used to hold her hand. He said that one day, when he was returning home after shopping, men in uniform from a nearby army camp threw stones at him as he passed by. This incident had an irreversible impact on Afzal. Tabassum said,
We were going back home, passing an army camp where men in uniform were playing their evening game. When we passed by they pelted stones at me and called me names. Afzal did not say a word nor did I expect him to say so. When we got home, he swallowed two painkillers. I asked him the reason and he said: ‘Look at me, he threw stones at you and I couldn’t say or do anything. How much of a coward have I become? How long will I remain silent?”
Afzal Guru – Double death sentence
Reportedly, on 4 August 2005, Afzal Guru was sentenced to three life terms and double death sentence by the Supreme Court of India for his involvement in the Indian Parliament attack (2001). The judgment of the Supreme Court of India read,
As is the case with most conspiracies, there is and cannot be any evidence of criminal conspiracy. This incident, which resulted in huge loss of life, has shocked the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will be satisfied only when the culprit is given death penalty.
mercy petition for husband
According to sources, two days after the Parliament attack i.e. on 15 December 2001, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested Afzal from the bus stop of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. According to the media, on June 4, 2002, Afzal Guru and others were charged under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section 3(2) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and various acts of terrorism. Section 302 (murder) of the Explosive Substances Act.
Tabassum Guru with her son Ghalib Guru waiting to meet her husband inside the Central Jail
Reportedly, on 3 October 2006, Tabassum Guru filed a mercy petition before President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
From left – Tabassum Guru, Ghalib Guru, Ayesha Begum, and lawyer Nandita Haksar (stepped down as Afzal Guru’s family lawyer) outside Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi in 2006.
According to reports, on February 3, 2013, then President Pranab Mukherjee had rejected Afzal’s mercy petition.
Letter from Central Jail informing about rejection of mercy petition and confirmation of Afzal Guru’s hanging date.
Afzal’s last letter
Some media claimed that an hour before his execution, Afzal Guru had written a letter to his family and in the letter had mentioned those who believe in Allah (God). Reportedly, the Superintendent of the Central Jail also wrote to him (Tabassum) to inform him that it was Afzal’s original letter. The Superintendent of Central Jail wrote,
This is in continuation of our letter 6-2-XIII. I am enclosing herewith the original letter written to you by Late Shri Afzal Guru. Kindly acknowledge receipt.”
The media also claimed that, according to Afzal’s family, the letter was sent through speed post in New Delhi on 11 February 2013 and was delivered to Jagir village in Sopore at 11 am on 12 February 2013.
Reportedly, in his last words, Afzal thanked God for choosing him to sacrifice his soul and asked his family to feel proud of him for it. In the last letter (written in Urdu), he also mentioned all the believers of God (no names) and left a message to stay right and remain true always. The letter states,
[My] Respected family members and believers [of Allah], May Allah’s blessings be upon you all. I am thankful to Allah that he chose me for this stature. Also my greetings to all the believers [of Allah] That we all remain on the side of truth and right. let us all follow this path [of righteousness] And die for truth and right. My only request to my family members is that everyone should respect the stature I have got. [by my execution] Instead of nurturing a sense of loss and remorse over my death. May Allah be the savior and protector for all of you.”
hanging of afzal guru
Afzal Guru was hanged at 8 am on 9 February 2013 in Tihar Jail, Delhi, India. Reportedly, he was buried near the grave of Maqbool Bhat in Tihar Jail, India. Reportedly, Afzal’s family had also written a letter to claim the body. read the letter,
We are writing to you to please allow the family members to give proper dignified last rites to Afzal Guru as per religious traditions… If you can inform us when the family members can perform ‘Namaz-e-Janaza’ , then we will appreciate it. ,
During an interview, Tabassum shared a small incident in which he asked his son the question whether he would have been able to see his father during his execution if the authorities had given permission. Ghalib’s answer to this was ‘no’. This incident forced Tabassum to think that the decision of not handing over her husband’s body to the family was a dishonorable act by the Indian government. Tabassum said,
In a way, Ghalib’s reaction made me think that the Indian government had only embarrassed itself by carrying out the secret execution and not allowing us to see him or perform his last rites. And, by going there, we could just allow them to show the world what a great democracy they are. So we didn’t. Yeeman gas roy-e-siyahi gasin (They should be ashamed).”
memory of husband
In an interview, Tabassum recalled Afzal’s appearance after his arrest in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on 15 December 2001. According to him, he looked like Aamir Khan from the film Mangal Pandey (2005). According to Tabassum, in 2005, Afzal once wrote a letter to her father, asking him to find another man to marry her. Recalling that letter, Tabassum said,
I was very angry. Who was he to say that to me? I never asked for a divorce.”
According to Tabassum, Afzal had written many letters to her while he was in jail.
In an interview, Tabassum recalled the poetic side of her husband Afzal Guru and narrated a couplet that he used to recite to her,
They told [he used to say],
We will be reduced to ashes before you even know it.[I would have turned into soil,By the time the news reaches you],
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AILjtybShZg
Afzal’s involvement in the attack – did Tabassum know?
In an interview, Tabassum did not deny the fact of Afzal’s involvement in the attack, which she suspected but did not try to confront him and stop him. Tabassum said,
I will not lie. I was suspicious, but I never checked, asked or stopped him.”
She also expressed anger over the decision to hang her husband and said,
I agree that he was not completely innocent, but did he really deserve the death penalty? What about the people who actually shot those people? “They go away freely?”
Tabassum’s life in Sopore
In an interview, Tabassum revealed that after Afzal’s hanging, she remained almost under house arrest as security forces kept a watch on her 24×7. He also said that security forces would often come to his house to investigate. He said,
They walk around with their dirty shoes on my carpet. Nowadays, I laugh and tell them ‘Please come inside, it’s your own house.’
Facts/General Knowledge
- Afzal used to call Tabassum by the name ‘Pyaari’.
- In an interview, Tabassum shared a memory of those days when she used to visit Afzal in Tihar Jail and when Afzal told her that he had made himself so strong that he had never seen him cry. Afzal used to say,
Bi vucha zanh tchenayen etchan manz osh (I wish I could see tears in your eyes). Tche tchai kana’yu venij banemich (Your heart has turned to stone in its strength).”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn