Why Do Memories of Afzal Guru Still Haunt India's Conscience

18/12/2019 Why Do Memories of Afzal Guru Still Haunt India's Conscience?
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POLITICS 09/FEB/2017
Afzal Guru
Shoaib aspires to be a Bollywood singer and it becomes a

story for newspapers. Why? Because Shoaib is a Muslim.
Not just any Muslim, but also the nephew of Afzal Guru.
The newspapers cannot hide their astonishment.
A similar vein of astonishment ran through the newspapers

two years ago when it was reported that Ghalib, another
Kashmiri Muslim, had passed the class ten board exams
with flying colours. It was news because Ghalib is the son
of Guru.
On February 9, 2013, Afzal Guru was hanged. But his

connection with India remains alive. What is this connection
that refuses to die? Why does Guru’s memory still haunt the
nation when the very reason the apex court decided to hang
him was to satisfy “the collective conscience of its society”?
On this day, it has become a tradition to commemorate

Guru each year. It is like a cry that has been muffled for fear
or lack of hope that it will be heard or answered. It has
turned into a deep hidden wound that has healed externally
but hurts when the wind changes as winters recede.
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On this day in 2013, Guru was finally hanged and

newspapers got their fodder for several days. It was done
very secretively. Not only was Guru’s family kept in the
dark about it, but Guru himself was informed only two
hours before his hanging. Only the chief minister of Jammu
and Kashmir was notified, presumably so that the
state could be prepared for any untoward reaction from the
Valley after the news comes out.
Guru was buried inside Tihar Jail. The government did not
want the people in the Valley to have another martyr figure.
Anti-India sentiment was put under check. Internet and
mobile services were blocked in Kashmir. After all, the
government was aware of the tension the news had caused
in the region. Links were cut off so that the anger remained
isolated and did not take the form of organised or public
agitation.
But why was there such outburst over the punishment of a

‘terrorist’ who participated in an attack on parliament, the
symbol of India’s democracy and sovereignty? One hanging
caused so much agony – what about the policemen who
were killed in the parliament attack, it was asked.
Tension was quickly building up after the hanging. A few

Kashmiri students gathered at Jantar Mantar to protest
against it. But they were attacked and their faces were
blackened. How some people just love humiliating others in
this country!
News studios were running their own debates with at least

one Muslim face in each frame – a Congress member, a BJP
member, another a lawyer or a former deputy chairman of
the Rajya Sabha who by chance was a Muslim too. There
was a national consensus that hanging Guru was the right
decision. The Congress applauded itself for taking the step.
The BJP commended itself for pressurising the government
to act. The delayed hanging, however, displayed hesitation
on the part of the Congress when it came to national
security, it said.
In the discussion, no objection was raised against the

decision but perhaps there had been one human failing –
Guru’s family should have been allowed to visit him one
last time.
The person to whom this question is put was me and I

replied that this is not about sympathy but about justice.
And the question we should discuss is this: Should
Guru have been hanged at all? In the studio, this question is
met with the loudest uproar. The BJP Muslim member
shouts in an angry tone, “You must be an ISI agent. This is a
Pakistani channel. I cannot be a part of it any more.” The
Congress Muslim member warns the questioner, “You are
able to ask such a question because India is a democracy.”
It was obvious from the Congress’s reaction that the core of

India’s politics was slipping away from its hands, which is
why it leapt on another’s ideology of nationalism and was
trying hard to portray it as its own.
Is, then, democracy in India dependent upon the government

and political parties? Do they fix its duration and amount
too? Before one consents to the execution, is it wrong to ask

that if Guru was a citizen of India, was he awarded all his
rights? He was hanged only on the basis of his statement to
the police. Why was he not provided a good lawyer?
Guru did not attack parliament. Those who did were killed.
Guru was the only one arrested among those who were
named as being part of the conspiracy. Do we know the
whole truth behind the attack, the identity of the others
involved? Why does the government seem less interested in
unravelling all the details? It is noteworthy that the attack
took place at a time when a strong government led by the
nationalist BJP was in power.
Guru was a surrendered militant, under constant vigilance of

the police and the army. How did he manage to reach Delhi?
If he was not involved in the attack but merely took part in
plotting it, why was he hanged when those who had plotted
Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination were only jailed? Was it
merely a decision by the apex court to satisfy the “collective
conscience of the society”, to calm the disturbed heart of the
nation?
With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the country gave its

verdict on Kashmir too – that Kashmir does not register a
beat in that chest of the nation, that it is not an integral part
of India as it is often claimed. Yet when Guru’s son, Ghalib,
the son of a man hanged as a traitor, does well in the
examination, it becomes national news.
The government must have thought that the matter will die
down with the hanging. Governments can hang a person but
they cannot bury questions. These will still be asked. Last
year, the debate was revived at Jawaharlal Nehru University
once again. It is not only Kashmiri youth who ask these
questions, but it concerns the youth in general. Is there a
short cut to justice? Can it be ignored in certain cases?
Then came Yakub Memon’s hanging and the debate

resurfaced with a fresh fervour. When a Dalit student raised
this question in Hyderabad, he was labelled anti-national. In
JNU, there were attacks on students for raising this
question. They were beaten, jailed and a vile campaign
against them was started. It was an attempt to destroy the
very essence of the university. It did not stop at JNU.
At an event in the Press Club, anti-India slogans were raised

and press club officials filed a complaint with the police.
The event was organised by a professor, slogans were raised
by members of the audience but the organisers were blamed.
The Parliament Street police station in-charge told the
detained group of teachers that it was his dominion and he
could keep them there as long as he wanted. Whether it is a
crime story or farce, is difficult to say.
One day, six young men in a dishevelled state were brought

into the police station. Unshaved beards, tangled hair and
careless in appearance. They had come to the Indira Gandhi
Cultural Centre to listen to Gulzar, who was speaking at an
event celebrating Urdu, when the police nabbed them
because, according to the police, they looked like ‘JNU-
type’ people, those who talk about democracy. “Why don’t
you comb your hair or take a bath?” the policeman asked
them in the manner of a strict parent. One of the men turned
out to be a Muslim and was carrying the flag of the
Students’ Federation of India. “Today, he is carrying a flag.
Tomorrow, it will be a gun,” the policeman mocked.
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Kashmiri, terrorist, leftist, JNU, JNU-type, nationalist – it is

all messed up. It is like a rambling madman refusing to
come to his senses. A driver in Mehsana, far away from
Delhi, asks, “Is the full form of JNU Jinnah National
University? Are those boys living on taxpayers’ money
involved in anti-national activities?” Officials in universities
of Haryana, Ranchi, Udaipur, and Jodhpur warn that they
will not let another JNU rise. A student organisation raises
slogans, the police files a complaint and warns that no anti-
national speech will be tolerated.
Seventy years have passed since India won its

independence. Should a lack of nationalism still disturb us?
Are we a sick nation, wandering in search of an energy that
will boost our nationalism?
And then February 9 returns, along with the questions that

have remained unanswered, questions that we refuse to face,
questions of humanity, sympathy and justice.
Let us raise our hands then and pray. Pray for those who
have wrongfully suffered injustice because of our
nationalistic haste. And pray for ourselves too. That a time
will come when we will rise from our nationalistic
intoxication. That our souls have not become so wounded
by then that they are beyond repair. That it is not too late by
then for us to seek salvation.
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Apoorvanand teaches at Delhi University.
Translated from Hindi by Naushin Rehman.
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18/12/2019 Why Do Memories of Afzal Guru Still Haunt India's Conscience?

POLITICS ECONOMY EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SECURITY LAW SCIENCE SOCIETY CULTURE

Why Do Memories of Afzal

Shoaib aspires to be a Bollywood singer and it becomes a

A similar vein of astonishment ran through the newspapers

On February 9, 2013, Afzal Guru was hanged. But his

On this day, it has become a tradition to commemorate

Kolkata to Ahmedabad flights

On this day in 2013, Guru was finally hanged and

But why was there such outburst over the punishment of a

Tension was quickly building up after the hanging. A few

News studios were running their own debates with at least

In the discussion, no objection was raised against the

The person to whom this question is put was me and I

It was obvious from the Congress’s reaction that the core of

Is, then, democracy in India dependent upon the government

too? Before one consents to the execution, is it wrong to ask

Guru was a surrendered militant, under constant vigilance of

With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the country gave its

Then came Yakub Memon’s hanging and the debate

At an event in the Press Club, anti-India slogans were raised

One day, six young men in a dishevelled state were brought

Kolkata to Ahmedabad flights

Kashmiri, terrorist, leftist, JNU, JNU-type, nationalist – it is

Seventy years have passed since India won its

And then February 9 returns, along with the questions that

Kolkata to Ahmedabad flights

Apoorvanand teaches at Delhi University.

Translated from Hindi by Naushin Rehman.

Support The Wire

₹200 ₹1000 ₹2400

Join The Discussion Total Comments (8)

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Why Do Memories of Afzal Guru Still Haunt India's Conscience

Why Do Memories of Afzal Guru Still Haunt India's Conscience