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Afzal Guru Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 15, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth30 June 1969

Age44 (at time of death)

BirthplaceDoabgah village, Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, India

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseTabassum Guru

FamilySon: Ghalib Guru

Afzal Guru Biography

Mohammad Afzal Guru (1969–2013) was a Kashmiri man convicted in connection with the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. Born in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, he is

Early life and background

Mohammad Afzal Guru was born on 30 June 1969 in Doabgah village near Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir. He attended a government school in Sopore and later enrolled at Jhelum Valley Medical College in Srinagar, where he completed only the first year of an MBBS course. He also pursued a Bachelor of Arts through a correspondence program.

Family and personal life

Afzal came from a family that included his parents, Habibullah Guru and Ayesha Begum. His father was involved in transport and timber business. He had at least two brothers, Aijaz Guru and Hilal Ahmed. In 1998 he married Tabassum Guru, his cousin, and the couple had a son, Ghalib Guru.

Career and activities

After his studies he spent time in Delhi and, according to accounts in the public record, worked as a commission agent dealing with surgical equipment. Those business travels brought him familiarity with the city.

Conviction and legal outcome

Afzal Guru was convicted as a co-conspirator in relation to the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. The courts handed down multiple sentences, including life terms and the death penalty. His mercy petition was rejected by the President on 3 February 2013. He was executed by hanging at Tihar Jail, New Delhi, on 9 February 2013, at the age of 44.

Beliefs, writings and prison life

During his time in custody Afzal developed a noted interest in poetry and religious reading. He was reported to have been a devotee of poets such as Rumi and Muhammad Iqbal, and to have read the Quran during his imprisonment. His son is recorded as having recited poems to him while he was in jail.

Writings attributed to him were later published in collections that included letters and other material written during his years in a high-security prison. One small-volume collection compiled his prison letters; another, published later and presented as a larger work, was said to contain material attributed to him and to include a letter addressed to Masood Azhar.

Public profile

Afzal Guru’s execution and the circumstances around it generated sustained public attention. Following his death, public reactions included protests and shutdowns on his death anniversaries in parts of Srinagar. A symbolic empty grave and a tombstone placed in a martyrs’ graveyard in Srinagar were reported to commemorate him; his family sought the return of his body for last rites, a request that, according to media accounts, was declined by authorities on grounds of security and public order.

Accounts from prison staff and others described aspects of his final days. Reports indicate he sang a film song shortly before his execution and composed a final letter to family in which he reflected on his fate in religious terms.

Latest updates

Afzal Guru died on 9 February 2013 at Tihar Jail in New Delhi. Posthumous publications of his writings appeared after his death, and his name remains a focal point in discussions and periodic public observances in parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
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Recent Work

Ahle Imaan Ke Naam Shaheed Mohammad Afzal Guru Ka Aakhri Paigam

A 94-page collection of letters written by Afzal Guru during his imprisonment.

2013
Aaina (Mirror)

A 240-page book purportedly containing writings attributed to Afzal Guru, said to have been completed in 2010 and published in December 2013.

2013
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Career Highlights

  1. Convicted as a co-conspirator in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack
  2. Sentenced to life imprisonment and to death by the Supreme Court of India
  3. Executed at Tihar Jail on 9 February 2013
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Afzal Guru born?

30 June 1969

What is Afzal Guru’s marital status?

Married

Who is Afzal Guru married to?

Tabassum Guru