PM should contemplate returning Afzal Guru's body back to family, says JD(U)

New Delhi: Janata Dal (United) Chief Sharad Yadav on Wednesday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to contemplate returning body of Afzal Guru to his family members. Guru was convicted in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and was hanged on February 9.

Yadav also said the matter was "not a big issue". Yadav's statement is a move to get closer to the minority votebank as Lok Sabha elections are approaching. The JD(U) is very strong in Bihar, which has a large minority votebank.

Guru's family had said on Tuesday they would not visit his grave inside Tihar Jail, but would instead continue their struggle to get his mortal remains back to Kashmir.

Yadav\'s statement is a move to get closer to the minority votebank as Lok Sabha elections are approaching.

Commenting on the statement of union Home Secretary RK Singh that the jail authorities would shortly take a decision on allowing the family to offer funeral prayers at his grave, Afzal's brother Yaseen Guru had said, "The family has made it clear that we want Afzal's body back so that we can perform the burial as per the Islamic rites. So far as the question of offering funeral prayers at his grave is concerned, the entire Valley has been offering prayers for his soul for the last four days. Afzal's wife, Tabassum has already written a letter to deputy commissioner Baramulla demanding her husband's body and we will continue to struggle for that".

(With Additional Inputs From IANS)

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