It' been quite some time since I have been
away from my blog but today, I believe I had a reason to pen my thoughts over
again. A reason that completes 3 years since it transpired. The memories of
what Mumbai met with 3 years back, on the very same night has still not taken a
bend from the ballistic minds of people whose hearts are burning with revenge
and anguish towards the perpetrators of the blasts. The night when the country
had witnessed one of the worst terror attacks. Ajmal Amir Kasab, the Pakistani
gunman who unleashed horror in the Mumbai city along with his nine associates ,
is still bleeding state coffers three years after he killed more than 100
people that night.
Ajmal being the lone terrorist to be captured, 3 years after he accomplished
his mission of what he thought would pave his way to "Jihad", I must
say he was true in all sense considering his fate till this moment since the
attacks happened. Today, he is India's most high-profile prisoner with
government of Maharashtra having already spent over 16 Crores on him. This
includes the state home department having spent crores on his accommodation
which necessitated building a special cell and deployment of special forces
from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) apart from expenses on his food, safety
and medical treatments. It should also be noted that the expenditure doesn't
include the fees paid to the special public prosecutor and his team. And it's
reported that the state government is taking a stock of the huge money spent on
this Pakistani national in the wake of the third anniversary of the 26/11
attacks.
Even the President of India would not be having so much of value and aegis for
her life. When the Supreme court of India had suspended the death sentence of
Ajmal, saying that it would like to hear his plea challenging his capital
punishment at length as the "due process of law" has to be followed,
the temple of justice failed to uphold the pain and affliction of many innocent
lives who are still struggling to come out of the bloodcurdling memories of
that night. Ajmal Kasab deserves nothing short of a capital punishment and he
is least worthy of being given a chance to plea. The fact that the supreme
court failed to consider the social jurisprudence while deciding the fate of
this anti social radical is completely baffling. What message are we giving
away to the youth by refraining to punish people like Ajmal Kasab and Afzal
Guru?
"Why is Kasab still alive? Why has he still not been hanged?" These
are questions Arjun Kamte, 11, often asks his mother. Arjun's father Ashok
Kamte, additional commissioner of police, Mumbai East, was gunned down by
terrorists near Cama Hospital on November 26, 2008. Three years on, the wife of
the slain officer has no answers to questions that have been debated time and
again since the carnage wreaked havoc in Mumbai. All she can do is try to
handle the situation with tact.
Candle light processions, statues of martyrs,
promises of economic rehabilitation of the martyrs’ families and celebrating
the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks are not the proper salute to
the martyrs in the true sense. India must seek motivation from nations who have
managed to come of such catastrophes before. Citing the American Government's
activities post 9/11 attack, our government must endeavour to make sure that
they provide the best of security to their countrymen. To me, how Ajmal’s fate
has shaped up since the horrific terror attacks is a baffling paradox and I
pray that this doesn’t happen again.
My heart goes out to
the victims of 26/11/08 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
JAI HIND !!
