Ajmal Kasab - Held Guilty!

Finally, Kasab has been found guilty of the crime which we all saw in horror. I had blogged about Kasab and how we are making a mockery of not making a good example out of him, in 'Of Kasab, civility and the criminal justice system'

Kasab, we need to get rid of this guy, not cause it will help us to stop other terrorists, but for the fear of Kandahar - II, at least that. We dont want to see him languishing in jail for long, munching on tax-payers money and then some fine day being exchanged for a few patriots.

When we send him to his old, fat and ugly virgins, we need to make it look foolish for him, to have had joined these organisations. So that he isnt made a martyr amongst his people, the people who use a sewage canal as a swimming pool ,as is reported to have been the case from his village, where he was used to enjoy the fun and frolic of pushing others into the canal. Any chance of him being considered as a martyr and the whole exercise of going through judiciary and the agonizing wait and patience endured by the people of India will be lost.

We had a good chance to make an example out of him. Hope we make a good example. If we make his death heroic, then may be next terrorists would be praying, 'Jannat bulane se pehle, EK baar Mumbai police se pakadwa de'

When there were reports that an entire ward was being cleared off for security reasons in the J J Hospital, Mumbai where he was supposed to visit for his hernia operation, it seemed as if he had gained more after getting caught than even joining the morbid ideology. It should be made clear that he is paying a price for his deeds and is not enjoying the hospitality of a wannabe civil society. If the wrongdoer is not getting his dose of punishment and the message doesnt go across that 'you mess with us at your own risk' then all talk of being an advanced civil society smacks of futility.

Beyond that, we comfortably forget that his handlers are 'safe and sound' plotting the next attack. We cannot consider to have moved much if they are let free. Why Hafeez's or Lakhvi's, we couldnt even nail the other duo caught in this case. The judge ridiculed at the evidence saying, Google could give better maps than those found with the two guys. They are acquitted and signs are that their cases wont be appealed against in higher courts.

If this is the condition of our legal retribution to people caught attacking us, then we could be fooling none but ourselves in rejoicing about this being as a victory over terror and a triumph of our judiciary.

Imagine if Hawaldar Ombale had cared for his life a bit more and had killed Kasab when Kasab attacked him. No Lakhvi's or Hafeez's name would have ever been out.

Saying that I guess we achieved only that much, getting the names out of the plotters of the attack, nothing more.

Kasab's death was a surety once he pulled that trigger at CST. How he dies is of not much consequence in the larger context of fight against terror.