M A I N   N E W S

Kasab’s head, nothing less, says prosecution
He’s young, be soft, pleads defence; sentence tomorrow

He’s Satan, a snake in human form and a killing machine, all rolled into one. Hang him so that India doesn’t become a soft target for terror groups. — Ujjwal Nikam, Public Prosecutor

Mumbai, May 4
Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab is “Satan, a monster” and “a killing machine” and must get the death penalty for murder, the prosecution in the 26/11 terror attack case said on Tuesday. The sentence is to be delivered on Thursday.

In his arguments a day after Kasab was pronounced guilty by Special Judge ML Tahaliyani, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said Kasab was a monster who laughed seeing innocent people dying in pain. Making out a strong case for capital punishment, Nikam said: “If he is given lesser penalty, India will become a soft target for every self-styled terror group”.

Nikam said Kasab had been convicted for mass murder and waging war against India. “If all these are read together, the maximum punishment is death and minimum is life imprisonment,” Nikam told the jampacked anti-terror court in the Arthur Road Jail.

“I am for maximum punishment and this submission is not with a sense of revenge - we don’t seek barbaric justice - justice should meet the end,” Nikam argued.

He said in Kasab’s case, it was not just the murder but the way in which it was committed, and that the accused had the “urge to kill” that shook the conscience of society. “This makes it the rarest of rare cases, not merely in terms of the number of deaths caused, but also the manner of causing the deaths and the high degree of cruelty make it an exception,” he said. Nikam further argued that Kasab did not only kill, but he “enjoyed the killing”, which shows his unscrupulous attitude.

Terming Kasab “a snake in human form, Satan and Ravana both together, an agent of the devil, devil in human form and a disgrace to entire humanity,” Nikam said the attacks were carried out with previous planning and extreme cruelty. “Kasab killed with design, without mercy. He and Abu Ismail were responsible for killing 72 people, including 14 policemen, and the victims were helpless,” he said.

He said that Kasab and Ismail killed navigator Amarchand Solanki of the ship Kuber, 52 people in Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, seven in Cama Hospital, nine outside the hospital, two were killed in the Vile Parle taxi blast and policeman Tukaram Ombale, who sacrificed his life, but helped nab Kasab.

Among the victims were eight women and seven small children, besides 14 policemen.“They (the terrorist duo) killed without discretion or distinction, young or old, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians,” Nikam asserted.

Calling Kasab a “killing machine”, Nikam said that such machines were manufactured in Pakistan. He explained that Solanki, navigator of Kuber, was killed in a brutal manner butchered to pieces.“In fact, Kasab, the name itself means a butcher,” Nikam said. He added that Kasab remained unsatisfied with the wanton killing and wanted to kill more people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

Quoting from Kasab’s confession, Nikam pointed out that the terrorist was disappointed that they were delayed by an hour in the voyage by sea and missed the huge peak hour crowds at CST that evening.

In his arguments, the defence lawyer pleaded for leniency to be shown to the Pakistani terrorist on account of his young age and lack of previous criminal record.“He (Kasab) is young and chances of him reforming are likely. He should be rehabilitated,” said his counsel. — Agencies