Jammu, March 12
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed bedlam today after Law and Parliamentary Affair Minister Mir Saifullah used the word “sahib” with the name of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru who was hanged and buried in Tihar Jail on February 9.

The House, which had to be adjourned thrice during the first sitting, witnessed unruly scenes and a high-pitched verbal duel as legislators of the PDP, the BJP, the Panthers Party and the JSM clashed over the issue of Afzal Guru.

Demanding return of Afzal Guru’s mortal remains, PDP members resorted to sloganeering against Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who had on Monday ruled out handing over the body of Afzal Guru to his family. BJP, Panthers Party and JSM members created uproar in the House over, what they called, wasting precious time of the Assembly on discussing an “irrelevant” issue.

“It is a shame that the man who had masterminded the attack of Parliament was discussed in the House,” shouted BJP member Jugal Kishore Sharma.

In a bid to calm down tempers, Law and Parliamentary Affair Minister Mir Saifullah announced to make a statement on the issue. He said, “Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s stand has been that the mortal remains of Afzal Guru ‘sahib’ should be returned-it is also the stand of the National Conference.”

As soon as the Law Minister used the term “sahib” for Guru, pandemonium broke out in the Assembly. BJP, Panthers Party and JSM members trooped towards the chair. “This is an insult to the Supreme Court of India. You are calling Parliament attack convict sahib,” they said. They also raised slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vanday Matarm”.