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Kin of Parliament attack victims threaten to return bravery medals

Staff Correspondent

"No mercy for Afzal Guru, he should be hanged"

Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

President of All India Anti-Terrorist Front Maninder Singh Bitta along with kin of police personnel killed in Parliament attack, in Chandigarh on Thursday. Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

CHANDIGARH: Members of the families of at least three of the nine victims of the December 13, 2001, terrorist attack on the Parliament have threatened to return the gallantry medals to the President, in case the Union Government did not decide against the mercy petition of Afzal Guru, who has been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court.

Disclosing this on behalf of the martyrs' families, Chairman of the All India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF) M.S. Bitta, while talking to reporters at the Chandigarh Press Club said the sacrifices of the nine patriots, who saved the lives of the Nation's top 300 political leaders, the prestige of the Parliament and prevented a possible war, cannot be insulted.

He displayed the medals of all the nine victims.

Mr. Bitta said that in the eventuality of the Union Government failing to decide on the mercy petition, which the President had referred back for advice, while political leaders would pay floral tributes, families of the victims at 11:40 AM, on December 13, this year, would return the medals and other awards.

Till Afzal was not hanged, he expected families of those who sacrificed themselves in Kargil and other anti-terrorist operations, to join the protest by returning the gallantry awards bestowed on them.

"Let the Union Government then exhibit courage to display these returned medals and awards in a National museum, to narrate to the future generations about how the families of the victims were treated," he said adding that it was time that the decision makers accepted the verdict of the Apex Court and expedite the execution of Afzal.

While demanding a stricter law to deal with terrorism, Mr. Bitta said that the AIATF would file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Supreme Court, seeking to reopen the case of the Delhi University Professor, S.A.R. Geelani, who had been acquitted in the conspiracy case.

Accompanying Mr. Bitta were Sardara Singh, father of Delhi Police's head constable Om Prakash, Ganga Devi who is the widow of Sub Inspector Nanak Chand and Jaywati who is the widow of Bajinder Singh, driver of the Vice President.

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