Afzal Guru, convicted in the audacious terrorists attack on Parliament in 2001, has been hanged. His body was buried in Tihar Jail in New Delhi. His mercy petition was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee six days ago.

Shortly after the execution, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters that he examined the file carefully and recommended to the President on January 21 for rejection of Afzal Guru's mercy petition.

He said the President rejected the mercy plea last Sunday and he signed the file the next day and sent it for further execution to the department.

Shinde said due procedure was followed and it was then decided that the hanging will take place today at 8 AM.

Union Home Secretary R K Singh said Afzal Guru's family in Sopore in north Kashmir was informed about the rejection of his mercy petition. Afzal Guru was burried with full religious rites.

Political parties have welcomed the decision as rule of law taking its course.

Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said in Kanpur that a strong message has been served that India will not tolerate terrorism at any cost.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said, the law has taken its own course in the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Talking to reporters in Chennai, he said asserted that the government has to ensure that law is followed rigorously.

Congress leader Digvijay Singh said the government took the decision after going through all standard procedures.

He rejected the BJP allegation of delay in the execution and said it was BJP which compromised with terrorists in the Kandahar plane hijack in 1999.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said though belated, justice has been done in the Parliament attack case after the execution of Afzal Guru.

He said India is a society governed by the rule of law and the investigation by our police agencies is strictly scrutinised by the courts.

CPIM Party politburo member Sitaram Yechury said law of land has taken its course in the 2001 Parliament attack case.

National General Secretary of Samajwadi Party R P Kushwaha said there is no religion for terrorists.

The family members of 2001 Parliament attack victims have welcomed the execution of Afzal Guru.

Family members of the victims of the attack have welcomed the hanging of Afzal Guru.

Talking to reporters, son of Matbar Singh Negi, who was duty on December 13 on the fateful day as part of the Parliament watch and ward staff, said today's hanging of Afzal Guru was a good decision by the government and it will send a strong message to terrorist groups.

Sumita Devi, Wife of Vikram Bisht, a Camera person who was killed during Parliament attack has also welcomed the hanging of Afzal Guru.

Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in major towns of the Kashmir Valley a precautionary measure.

The situation in the valley is peaceful, barring a minor incident in Baramullaa district, in which 2 persons were injured.

Addressing a press conference, State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah appealed to the people to maintain calm and not allow any one to exploit the situation to promote their vested interests.

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.

Afzal Guru, 43, was on the death row for over 10 years after his conviction. He was found guilty of conspiring and sheltering Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists, who carried out the dastardly attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001.

Nine people were killed when five heavily-armed gunmen stormed the Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five Delhi Police personnel, a woman CRPF official, two Parliament watch and ward staff and a gardener.

A journalist, who was injured, died later. All five terrorists were shot dead by security forces. Guru was arrested within hours after the attack from a truck in the national capital.

He was charged with aiding and abetting the attack after a special court had sentenced him to death in December 2002 along with Delhi University professor S A R Gilani and Shaukat Hussain.

Hussain's wife Afsan was let off. Gilani was, however, let off by the High Court in 2003 while the sentence of Guru and Hussain was upheld.

The Supreme Court confirmed the death penalty of Guru in 2005 while in the case of Hussain, it was commuted to 10 years.