New Delhi: Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's mercy petition has been sent back by the Delhi government on Wednesday to Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna with the Delhi government fearing ant-social elements may try and foment communal trouble in some parts of the national capital.
Sources have told CNN-IBN the state government has addressed the issues raises by the Lieutenant Governor Khanna. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has reportedly replied that some anti-social elements can use the Afzal's hanging to their advantage in some parts of trans-Yamuna and Jamia Millia Islamia.
Khanna had returned the file on Tuesday within hours of getting it seeking clarifications and asking the Delgi government to clearly specify whether it supported Afzal Guru's hanging or not.
Delhi government has already agreed with the Supreme Court judgement that Afzal's was an act of terror and that it merits death by hanging.
There are 30 mercy petitions pending with the President and Afzal's is one of them. The Home Ministry had first sent a file for Delhi government's opinion way back in 2006, but it has been hanging in the air since then.
But with public opinion in favour of speedy hanging of Kasab, the Central Government is under pressure to move fast. However, a decision on Afzal's hanging could prove a deterrent.
Government sources say that Prime Minister's Office is worried that Afzal hanging could have repercussions in Jammu and Kashmir, which would dilute its vantage point on peace talks with Pakistan.
The sudden speeding up of the Afzal file from the Delhi government could be an attempt by the Centre to send out the message that it is serious about fast tracking Mumbai attacker Ajmal Amir Kasab issue.
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