Afzal Guru, Parliament attack convict, was today hanged at Tihar Jail in New Delhi. Later briefing reporters at his residence in New Delhi, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said, Guru was hanged at 8 this morning. He said, the mercy plea of Guru, was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee on 3rd of this month and the Home Ministry sent the file to jail department for action on the next day. Mr. Shinde said that all procedures were followed in this case before his execution.

Earlier, Home Secretary RK Singh said Guru's family residing in Sopore in north Kashmir was informed about the decision of the Government that his mercy petition has been rejected. He said, Guru's body will not to be handed over to his relatives and he will be buried in Tihar Jail itself in accordance with the rituals. Prison officials said,Afzal Guru has since been buried inside Tihar jail complex.

Afzal Guru was sentenced to death in 2002 for his role in attack on Parliament in 2001 by a special court and later upheld by the Supreme Court in 2004.

A tight security vigil was put in place across the national capital today to ensure that no untoward incident takes place in the wake of hanging of Afzal Guru.Police sources said, all the police stations in the city were put on high alert. Additional deployment of forces has been made in minority dominated areas across the city. Patrolling is being intensified in crowded market areas, railway stations and bus terminals as part of efforts to tighten security.

Curfew is imposed in major towns of the Kashmir Valley. DIG Syed Mujtaba told our Srinagar correspondent that additional forces have also been deployed as a precautionary measure. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is in Srinagar to keep a close on the situation.