Editor’s Pick

MOHAMMAD AFZAL GURU’S MOTHER, AISHA BEGUM, his wife, Tabassum, and son, Ghalib, leaving Rashtrapati Bhavan in October 2006, after presenting a mercy petition to President APJ Abdul Kalam. Last month, President Pranab Mukherjee rejected the petition. Guru was hanged on 9 February.

Executive Editor of The Caravan Vinod K Jose met Guru in Tihar Jail in the winter of 2006. An excerpt:

“Tabassum witnessed both my physical and mental wounds. She gave me hope to live. We did not have a day of peaceful living. It is the story of many Kashmiri couples. Constant fear is the dominant feeling in all Kashmiri households.

We were so happy when a child was born. We named our son after the legendary poet Mirza Ghalib. We had a dream to see our son, Ghalib, grow up. I could spend very little time with him. After his second birthday, I was implicated in the case.”

While the prosecution’s version of Guru’s story is known, the interview presents his account. The full interview is available on TheCaravan’s website.