Guru's family have claimed that they were not informed about his execution or rejection of the mercy plea by the President and got to know about the same through television channels and social networking sites. The government however had maintained that the family of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was informed about his hanging by the Tihar authorities and the Jammu & Kashmir government was taken into confidence before his execution.

Guru is survived by his two brother and wife Tabasum and son Galib.