Mumbai: Nearly four years after the Mumbai terror attack, Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving Pakistani gunman, was hanged to death at the Yerawada central prison on Wednesday morning. Soon after, reactions from victims' families started pouring in welcoming the execution. Tukaram Omble was the biggest hero of 26/11. The Mumbai police assistant sub-inspector was responsible for the capture of LeT terrorist Ajmal Kasab alive. His brother Eknath Omble welcomed the government decision to hang Kasab, saying a terrorist like him should have been hanged in public.
"My family is happy. Through you I had appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee. I am glad that today the President and the Home minister took the right decision. A terrorist like Kasab should have been hanged in public," he said.
K Unnikrishnan, the father of slain NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, on Wednesday expressed happiness over the hanging but also cautioned that this was not the end of the menace called terrorism. “Our aim should be to bring to book the perpetrators of 26/11. Kasab was a soft target. This is not a closure; we need to be more alert. I think it is done in a better way. If guilt is proven then the person should be punished. Terrorism is a bad thing for the society,” he said.
Vandana Chavan, sister-in-law of Vinita Kamte, of IPS officer Ashok Kamte who died fighting terrorists during 26/11 Mumbai attack, said, “Masterminds should be caught and hanged. Vacuum suffered cannot be filled. We are satisfied with the steps taken by the government.”
Smita Salaskar, wife of encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar, who was killed in the 26/11 attacks, hailed it as the start of the justice in 26/11 case. "I am very satisfied. This can be said the start of the justice. However, she said that if his husband has good weapon to defend himself durin the attck, situation would have been different. Her daughter Divya said that she aws proud of her father. "For four years everyday I thought I would think when is Kasab going to be hanged. These four years, we battled terrorism," she said.
"The first thing that comes to my mind is what happened is good. We are happy that we have got justice," wife of a railway ticket collector, who was killed in the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, said reacting to Pakistan terrorist Ajmal Kasab's hanging. Ragini Sharma, whose husband SK Sharma was killed in the 2008 terror strike, said she would like to thank the President for rejecting Kasab's mercy plea. "I would like to thank the President. However, it got delayed but we did get justice. I am happy that it (the hanging) was done secretly, otherwise some human rights people would have opposed it," she said.
Vishnu Zende, an announcer at the Chhtrapati Shivaji Terminus, the railway station here which was one of the targets of the attack, said, "I had never thought that I would get to hear this news like this. "I am very happy that he has been hanged. All the people who died in the terror attack have been given tribute by hanging him," Zende, who had helped save many lives by making announcements over the public address system in the station about the strike, said.
Aditi Shinde, daughter of late police inspector Shashank Shinde, said, "I believe justice delayed is justice denied but atleast now we feel there is some justice done. It is a reassurance to the Indians that if a person indulges in terrorism, he will not be spared."
Mukesh Agrawal, who survived when the Taj Hotel in Mumbai was attacked during the 2008 carnage, said Kasab should have been hanged four years ago. "But today what has happened is very good. It is a very good gift to the victims' families. The government has given a New Year gift," he said.
(With additional inputs from PTI)
Comments
0 comment