Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist of the Mumbai , should be hanged at the Gateway of India in Mumbai to pay a "real tribute" to the martyrs killed while saving lives during the attacks, daughter of a slain constable has demanded.
"It would be insulting to our martyrs if Ajmal is let off on humanitarian grounds without any punishment," Vaishali, daughter of Tukaram, who was killed during the terror siege, said in an interview to Shiv Sena’Saamana’ on Friday.
"Why should he not get punished while my father died fighting Ajmal without thinking about the family?" she asked.
Vaishali also rubbished the arguments about Ajmal being young and, therefore, he should not be punished. She said the terrorists have killed nearly 200 innocent people, including 16 policemen.
"In fact, not punishing Ajmal would encourage the terrorist organisations to send even younger ones in the age bracket of 15-16 years with guns to kill more Hindus," she said.
In Thursday’s ‘Saamna’ editorial, Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had criticised Kavita, wife of slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare, and their daughter for suggesting that Ajmal should be let off on humanitarian grounds, and said the country did not share their stance.
"The Karkare family may have a different opinion. But that is not the opinion of family members of the other policemen killed in the terror attacks," Thackeray said in the editorial. "The daughter of Tukaram Ombale, who fell to Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman’s bullets but ensured that the terrorist was captured alive, has said that the souls of the 16 policemen killed in the terror attacks will get peace only if he is hanged," Thackeray said.
Referring to the slew of media interviews of Kavita Karkare, the slain ATS chief’s wife, Thackeray said she has quoted her daughter who is studying in London and who feels that Ajmal should be given another chance to live and realise what a grave crime he has committed. "Karkare’s daughter should meet Ombale’s daughter. We also respect Karkare’s martyrdom and we are expressing our opinion while respecting Karkare’s sacrifice," Thackeray said.
The ATS was formed to counter terrorists and foil the operation like the one on November 26, Thackeray said. "But leaving that job aside, Karkare got entangled in Malegaon blast case," the 82-year-old Sena chief said.
The way ATS paraded Army officer Prasad Purohit in the Malegaon case was an attempt to appease Muslims and was done under political pressure, he said. Describing Ombale, who held on to the blazing assault rifle of Ajmal as the "real braveheart", Thackeray said the policeman had helped catch the "devil" alive while receiving hail of bullets on his chest.
"Rajiv Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi wants that Nalini, sentenced to death in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, be pardoned. The person Nalini killed was not only Priyanka’s father but a former Prime Minister of this country and 90 others were also killed along with him. Who will pay for the trauma of families of those 90 people," he said.
"Families of those killed in the terror attacks want Ajmal to be hanged. Only the Karkares adopted a humanitarian approach and hat they are "different"," he said.
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