Afzal Guru first to be hanged at Tihar Jail after Indira Gandhi's killers

Mohammed Afzal Guru's hanging on Saturday was the first to have taken place in Tihar Jail here in over two decades.

The last hanging in Tihar was in 1989 when the killers of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi went to the gallows.

Satwant and Kehar Singh were hanged by executioners Kallu and Fakira.

"The last hanging that took place here was that of Satwant and Kehar," Director General of Tihar Jail Vimla Mehra said.

Asked about the identity of the hangman who pulled the lever on Guru, she refused to reveal the name, saying "We are not going to give the name of the hangman."

Prodded about what was Guru's last wish, Mehra said, "We are not going to give any details at the moment."

Senior Tihar Jail officials, who oversaw the entire preparation for hanging of Guru, said he was "very peaceful" and "calm" during the final moments and did not appear repentant.

However, a senior official said Guru, who was lodged in Jail No 3 of the prison, was a "little shaken" when informed about his impending execution last evening.

A resident of Sopore in North Kashmir, 43-year-old Guru was executed at 8 am near Jail No 3 in a top-secret operation.

A special court had sentenced Guru to death in December 2002 for his role in aiding and abetting the 2001 attack on Parliament which was upheld by the Supreme Court on August 4, 2005.

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