Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said that the execution of the 2001 Parliament attack mastermind Mohammed Afzal Guru was not a political decision.
He said everything has been followed in accordance with the rules and jail manual in the hanging of Afzal Guru. Mr Shinde was replying to questions at his monthly press conference in New Delhi.
He said the message was conveyed to the family of Afzal Guru in Srinagar through speed post by the jail authorities.
The Home Minister said that he had also conveyed the same to the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minisher Omar Abdulla on Friday night.
To a question, Mr Shinde said the cases of Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab are different from the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi. Mr Shinde said these are sensitive issues and the government must maintain screcy.
He said Home Ministry has implemented seven cases cleared by the President. Replying to a question, the Home Minister said the government can consider a request for allowing the family members of Afzal Guru to his burial ground in Tihar jail.
To a question on the release of Indian prisoner in Pakistan Sarabjit Singh, the Home Minister said that he had already spoken to his Pakistani counterpart twice.
To another question on the reported detention of the family members of a Delhi-based journalist, Mr Shinde said that he will go through the case.
Replying to a question on the demand for a separate state of Telangana, the Home Minister said it is not a closed chapter. He said discussions with all the stakeholders are continuing. He said there is no time limit for making any announcement in this regard.
Presenting his ministry's monthly progress card for January 2013, Mr Shinde said as on date, biometrics has been captured for more than 10.19 crore persons for the creation of National Population Register (NPR).
He said data entry has been completed for more than one hundred eleven crore persons. He said under the coastal NPR, more than 61.15 lakh cards have been produced so far. The capture of biometrics is in progress in 12 states including Delhi.
