NEW DELHI, Feb 12: The family of Afzal Guru rejected an offer by Indian authorities to pray at his graveside inside a prison, insisting the body be buried in occupied Kashmir. Home Secretary R.K. Singh made the offer and said the belongings of Mr Guru would be handed over to his family members.

“We have no problem if the immediate family of Afzal Guru wants to come and offer prayers at his grave in Tihar jail.

“Belongings of Afzal will be returned to the family,” Singh told reporters in Delhi.

However a relative of Guru said the family had no intention of visiting his grave, insisting that the body be brought back to Kashmir.

“As Muslims we can pray for Afzal from here,” Yasin Guru said from the family’s hometown of Sopore. “We will go to Tihar only if the government of India is kind enough to hand us his body for burial here.”

The announcement comes amid criticism of the government for failing to inform the family about the execution before he went to the gallows.

Mr Guru was convicted of helping a group of militants plot a 2001 attack on the Indian parliament which left 10 people dead. He always maintained his innocence and many of his supporters accused police of framing evidence against him in the case.—AFP