Ajmal Kasab | |
|---|---|
 Photograph shot by Sebastian D'Souza from theMumbai Mirror of Ajmal Kasab in theChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus during theMumbai attacks | |
| Born | Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab (1987-07-13)13 July 1987 |
| Died | 21 November 2012(2012-11-21) (aged 25) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Known for | 2008 Mumbai attacks |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Motive | Islamic extremism |
| Convictions |
|
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Date apprehended | 26 November 2008[1] |
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab (Urdu:اجمل قصاب; 13 July 1987 – 21 November 2012)[2] was a Pakistani[3][4] terrorist and a member of theIslamist terrorist organizationLashkar-e-Taiba through which he took part in the2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks inMaharashtra,India.[5][6] Kasab, alongside fellow Lashkar-e-Taiba recruit Ismail Khan, killed 72 people during the attacks, most of them at theChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.[7] Kasab was the only attacker who was apprehended alive by the police.
Kasab was born inFaridkot,Pakistan and left his home in 2005, engaging in petty crime and armed robbery with a friend. In late 2007, he and his friend encountered members ofJama'at-ud-Da'wah, the political wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba, distributing pamphlets, and were persuaded to join.
On 3 May 2010, Kasab was found guilty of 80 offences, including murder, waging war against India, possessing explosives, and other charges.[8][9] On 6 May 2010, he was sentenced to death on four counts and to life imprisonment on five counts. Kasab's death sentence was upheld by theBombay High Court on 21 February 2011.[10] The verdict was upheld by theSupreme Court of India on 29 August 2012.[4][11] Kasab was executed byhanging on 21 November 2012 at 7:30 a.m.local time,[12] and subsequently buried within the precincts ofYerwada Central Jail inPune.[13][14][15]
Kasab was born inFaridkot village in theOkara District ofPunjab,Pakistan, to Amir Shahban Kasab and Noor Illahi.[16] His father ran a snack cart[17][18] while his elder brother, Afzal, worked as a labourer inLahore.[18] His elder sister, Rukaiyya Husain, was married and lived in the village.[18] A younger sister, Suraiyya, and brother, Munir, lived in Faridkot with their parents.[18][19] The family belongs to theQassab community.[16]
Kasab briefly joined his brother in Lahore and then returned to Faridkot.[20][21] He left home after a fight with his father in 2005.[18] He had asked for new clothes onEid al-Fitr, but his father could not provide them, which made him angry.[22] He engaged in petty crime with his friend Muzaffar Lal Khan, eventually moving on to armed robbery.[20] On 21 December 2007,Eid al-Adha, they were inRawalpindi trying to buy weapons when they encountered members of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah, the political wing ofLashkar-e-Taiba, distributing pamphlets. They decided to sign up for training with the group, ending up at their base camp, Markaz Taiba.
An interrogator and deputy commissioner of theMumbai Police stated that Kasab spoke roughHindi and almost noEnglish.[23][24] He said his father in effect sold him to Lashkar-e-Taiba so that he could use the money they gave him to support the family.[25][26][27] His father denied it.[28]Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, a senior commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, reportedly offered to pay his family₨150,000 for his participation in the attacks.[29] Another report said the 23-year-old was recruited from his home, in part, based on a pledge by recruiters to pay₨100,000 to his family if he became amartyr.[30] Other sources put the reward atUS$4,000.[17]
Villagers in Okara claimed on camera that he was at their village six months before theattacks in Mumbai. They said that he asked his mother to bless him as he was going forjihad and claimed that he demonstrated his wrestling skills to the few village boys that day.[31]
Ajmal Kasab was among a group of 24 men[32] who received training in marine warfare at a remote camp in the mountainous areas ofMuzaffarabad,Azad Jammu and Kashmir,Pakistan. Part of the training was reported to have taken place on theMangla Dam reservoir.[33]
Kasab was seen onCCTV during his attacks atChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus along with another recruit, Ismail Khan. Kasab reportedly told the police that they wanted to replicate theIslamabadMarriott hotel attack, and reduce the Taj Hotel to rubble, replicating the9/11 attacks in India.[5]
Kasab and his accomplice Khan, then aged 25, attacked theChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) railway station. They then moved on to attack a police vehicle (a whiteToyota Qualis) atCama Hospital, in which senior Mumbai police officers (MumbaiAnti-Terrorism Squad ChiefHemant Karkare,encounter specialistVijay Salaskar andAdditional Commissioner of Mumbai PoliceAshok Kamte) were travelling. After killing them in a gun battle and taking two constables' hostage[citation needed] in the Qualis, Kasab and Khan drove towards the Metro Cinema. Kasab joked about the bullet resistant vests worn by the police and killed one constable when his mobile phone rang. The two fired some shots into a crowd gathered at the Metro Cinema. They then drove toVidhan Bhavan where they fired more shots. Their vehicle had a tire puncture, so they stole a silverŠkoda Laura and drove towardsGirgaum Chowpatty beach.[citation needed]
The D B Marg[clarification needed] police had received a message from police control at about10 pm, that two heavily armed men had gunned down commuters at CST. 15 policemen from D B Marg were sent to Chowpatty to set up a double barricade onMarine Drive.[34] The Škoda reached Chowpatty and halted 40 to 50 feet from the barricade. It reversed and attempted a U-turn. A shootout ensued and Khan was killed. Kasab lay motionless playing dead.Assistant Sub-InspectorTukaram Omble, armed only with alathi (bamboo stick), charged the vehicle, being shot five times. Omble held onto Kasab's weapon, enabling Omble's colleagues to capture Kasab alive.[35][36] Omble died from the bullet wounds.[34] A mob gathered and attacked the two terrorists, which was captured on video.[37]
Initially, Kasab pretended to be dead, and was being transported to the Nair Hospital when a police officer discovered Kasab was breathing. Seeing the mutilated body of another slain terrorist, Kasab begged doctors to put him on saline, saying "I do not want to die".[6] The doctors who treated Kasab said he had no bullet wounds.[38]
Kasab told police he was trained to "kill to the last breath".[39] Later, after interrogation in the hospital by the police, he said: "Now, I do not want to live", requesting the interrogators kill him for the safety of his family in Pakistan, who could be killed or tortured for his surrender to Indian police. (Fidayeensuicide squad terrorists were instructed not to be captured and interrogated, use aliases instead of their real names, and hide their nationality.)[40] He is also quoted as saying "I have done right, I have no regrets".[39] Reports also surfaced that the group planned to escape safely after the attack.[19]
Kasab told interrogators that all through the operation, the Lashkar headquarters fromKarachi, Pakistan, remained in touch with the group, calling their phones through a voice-over-Internet service. Investigators succeeded in reconstructing the group's journey through theGarminGPS that was found on Kasab. An email sent from a group calling itself theDeccan Mujahideen claiming responsibility was traced to a Russian proxy, which was then traced back toLahore with the help of theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[41][42]
Police announced Kasab was a Pakistani national based on his confession and other evidence.[43] Several reporters visited Kasab's village and verified the facts provided by him.[44][45][46] FormerPrime Minister of Pakistan,Nawaz Sharif confirmed that Kasab was from Faridkot village in Pakistan, and criticisedPresidentAsif Ali Zardari for cordoning off the village and not allowing his parents to meet anyone.[47]
Journalist Saeed Shah travelled to Kasab's village and producednational identity card numbers of his parents. His parents left town on the night of 3 December 2008.[48] Mumbai JointPolice Commissioner of CrimeRakesh Maria said Kasab was from the Faridkot village in theOkara District of Pakistan's Punjab province and was the son of Mohammed Amir Kasab.[49]
The Mumbai Police said much of the information that Kasab provided proved to be accurate. He disclosed the location of a fishing trawler, MVKuber, that the terrorists used to enter Mumbai's coastal waters. He told investigators where his team put the ship captain's body, a satellite phone and aglobal-positioning device, which the police found.[50]
Pakistani officials, including President Zardari, initially denied Ajmal Kasab was Pakistani.[51][52] Pakistani government officials attempted to erase evidence that there was aLashkar-e-Taiba office inDepalpur. The office was hurriedly closed in the week of 7 December. On the night of 3 December 2008, the parents were whisked away by a beardedmullah, and since then, there was evidence of a cover-up by plainclothes police. Villagers changed their stories, and reporters who visit there were intimidated.[53][54] In early December, Kasab's father admitted in an interview that Kasab was his son.[28]
In January 2009, Pakistan'sNational Security AdvisorMahmud Ali Durrani admitted to Kasab being a Pakistani citizen while speaking to theCNN-IBN news channel. TheGovernment of Pakistan then acknowledged that Ajmal Kasab was a Pakistani, but also announced that Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gilani had fired Durrani for "failing to take Gilani and other stakeholders into confidence" before making this information public, and for "a lack of coordination on matters of national security."[55]
On 6 December 2008,The Hindu reported that the police officers who interrogated him did not speak his language,Urdu, and misinterpreted hiscaste origin "kasai", meaning butcher, to be a surname, writing it as "Kasav".[56]
The Times of India reported a different version of the error. The paper stated that the police officers correctly understood that Ajmal Kasabdoes not have a surname. To satisfy an administrative requirement that people have surnames, the officers asked Kasab for his father's profession, and decided to use "butcher", or "Kasab" in Urdu, as his surname.[57][58]
The Hindu referred to him as either "Mohammad Ajmal Amir, son of Mohammad Amir Iman" or "Mohammad Ajmal Amir 'Kasab'".[56]
List of various names used to refer to Kasab:
Ammunition, asatellite phone and a layout plan ofChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was recovered from Kasab. He described how his team arrived at Mumbai fromKarachi viaPorbandar. He said that they had receivedrevolvers,AK-47s,ammunition anddried fruit from their coordinator.[71] Kasab told the police that they wanted to replicate theMarriott hotel attack inIslamabad, and reduce the Taj Hotel to rubble, replicating the11 September attacks in the US.[71] Kasab told police that his team targetedNariman House, where theChabad centre was located, because it was frequented by Israelis, who were targeted to "avenge atrocities on Palestinians."[72][73][74]
Kasab told the police that he and his associate, Ismail Khan, were the ones who shot Anti-Terror Squad chiefHemant Karkare, encounter specialistVijay Salaskar and Additional CommissionerAshok Kamte. Kasab entered the Taj posing as a student fromMauritius and stored explosives in one of the hotel's rooms.[75] In December 2009, Kasab retracted his confession in court, claiming he had come to Mumbai to act inBollywood films and was arrested by the Mumbai police three days before the attacks.[76]
Kasab repeatedly asked the interrogators to turn the camera off and warned them he would not speak otherwise. Nonetheless, the following confessions were recorded on video:[77]
"We were told that our big brother India is so rich and we are dying of poverty and hunger. My father sellsdahi wada in a stall in Lahore and we did not even get enough food to eat from his earnings. I was promised that once they knew that I was successful in my operation, they would give 150,000 rupees (around US$3,352), to my family," said Kasab.[78]
Investigation officers ofMumbai Police said they were shocked by his readiness to switch loyalties after he was apprehended.[78] "If you give me regular meals and money I will do the same for you that I did for them," he said.[78]
On 9 August 2012, Kasab was brought face-to-face withAbu Jundal, the handler of the Mumbai attacks, at theArthur Road Jail where they identified each other. Kasab also admitted that Jundal had taught him Hindi.[79]
In a press conference, thePolice Commissioner of Mumbai said "The person we have caught alive is certainly a Pakistani. They were all trained by ex-army officers, some for a year, some for more than a year".[80] On 23 November 2008, they set sail from Karachi unarmed to be picked up by a larger vessel. They hijacked the Indian fishing trawlerKuber and set sail for Mumbai.[39]
The Times reported on 3 December 2008 that Indian police were going to submit Kasab to anarco analysis test to definitively determine his nationality.[23]
According toDNA India, Kasab began readingthe autobiography of India's independence leaderMahatma Gandhi in early March 2009, in response to coaxing by prison guards.[81]
Several Indian lawyers refused to represent Kasab citing ethical concerns. A resolution was passed unanimously by the Bombay Metropolitan Magistrate Court's Bar Association, which has more than 1,000 members, saying that none of its members would defend any of the accused of the terror attacks.[82] Other bar associations passed similar resolutions. TheHindu nationalist political partyShiv Sena threatened lawyers against representing him. When one attorney, Ashok Sarogi, hinted that he would be willing to represent Kasab, Shiv Sena members protested outside his home and pelted it with stones, forcing him to retract.[83][84] In December 2008, theChief Justice of IndiaK. G. Balakrishnan said that for a fair trial, Kasab needed a lawyer.[85]
An eight-member commission from Pakistan, comprising defence lawyers, prosecutors and a court official was allowed to travel to India on 15 March to gather evidence for the prosecution of seven suspects linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. However, the defence lawyers were barred from cross-examining the four prosecution witnesses in the case including Ajmal Kasab.[86][87]
Kasab wrote to theHigh Commission of Pakistan in India requesting help and legal aid. In the letter, he confirmed he and the nine slain terrorists were Pakistani.[88] He asked the Pakistani High Commission to take custody of the body of fellow terrorist Ismail Khan.[89] Pakistani officials confirmed the receipt of the letter and were reported to be studying it. No further updates were given.
On 1 April 2009, senior Indian advocate Anjali Waghmare agreed to represent Kasab, despiteShiv Sena activists having protested and stoned her home.[90]
His conviction was based on CCTV footage showing him striding across theChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus with anAK-47 and a backpack. Towards the end of December 2008, Ujjwal Nikam was appointed aspublic prosecutor for trying Kasab and in January 2009,M. L. Tahaliyani was appointed the judge for the case.[91] Indian investigators filed an 11,000-pageChargesheet against Kasab on 25 February 2009.[92] Due to the fact that the chargesheet was written inMarathi and English, Kasab requested an Urdu translation of the charge sheet.[93] He was charged with murder, conspiracy and waging war against India along with other crimes. His trial was originally scheduled to start on 15 April 2009 but was postponed as his lawyer, Anjali Waghmare was dismissed for a conflict of interest.[94] It resumed on 17 April 2009 afterAbbas Kazmi was assigned as his new defence counsel.[95] On 20 April 2009, the prosecution submitted a list of charges against him, including the murder of 166 people.[91] On 6 May 2009, Kasab pleaded not guilty to 86 charges.[96] The same month he was identified by eyewitnesses who testified witnessing his actual arrival and him firing at the victims. Later the doctors who treated him also identified him. On 2 June 2009, Kasab told the judge he also understood theMarathi language.[91]
In June 2009, the special court issued non-bailable warrants against 22 absconding accused including Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chiefHafiz Saeed and chief of operations of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Zaki-ur-Rehman Laqvi.[91] On 20 July 2009, Kasab retracted his non-guilty plea and pleaded guilty to all charges.[97] On 18 December 2009, he retracted his guilty plea and claimed that he was framed and his confession was obtained by torture. Instead he claimed to have come to Mumbai 20 days before the attacks and was simply strolling atJuhu beach when police arrested him.[98] The trial concluded on 31 March 2010 and on 3 May the verdict was pronounced – Kasab was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, and of waging war against India (which also carried the death penalty).[99] On 6 May 2010, he was sentenced to death, and hearing this, Kasab broke down.[100]
ABombay High Court bench, composed of Justice Ranjanaa Desai and Justice Ranjit More, heard Kasab's appeal against the death penalty and upheld the sentence given by the trial court in their verdict on 21 February 2011.[101] On 30 July 2011, Kasab moved toSupreme Court of India, challenging his conviction and sentence in the case.[102] Thus, a bench composed of JusticeAftab Alam and Justice Chandramouli Kr. Prasad stayed the orders of the Bombay High Court so as to follow the due process of law, and started hearing the case.
On 29 August 2012, Kasab was again found guilty of waging war and was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of India.[4][103]
Kasab's plea forclemency was rejected byPresidentPranab Mukherjee on 5 November 2012.[104] On 7 November,Minister of Home AffairsSushilkumar Shinde confirmed the President's rejection of the petition. The following day, theState Government of Maharashtra was formally notified and requested to take action. The date of 21 November was then fixed for the execution, and the Indian government faxed their decision to thePakistani Foreign Office.[105]
Kasab was formally informed of his execution on 12 November, after which he requested government officials to inform his mother. On the night of 18–19 November, a senior prison official atArthur Road Jail in Mumbai read Kasab's death warrant to him, informing him at the same time that his petition for clemency had been rejected. Kasab was then asked to sign his death warrant, which he did. He was secretly transferred under heavy guard toYerwada Jail inPune, arriving in the early morning of 19 November. The death and funeral of Shiv Sena chiefBal Thackeray also aided in diverting attention from Kasab.[105] An officer at Arthur Road Jail stated anonymously: "Throughout the journey from Mumbai to Pune, he did not cause any trouble. Kasab's attitude was of resignation when he came to know that his mercy petition was rejected by the president. Kasab did not shed a single tear during the last few days."[105]
Only the jail superintendent at Yerwada was made aware of Kasab's identity. Kasab was placed in a special cell when he was at Yerwada and no other inmates were informed of his presence. It was only a few minutes before Kasab's execution that the executioner was informed of the identity of the condemned.[106]
The punishment to Kasab is a true tribute to the victims and martyrs of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.[107]
Though reportedly nervous in the final minutes before his execution, Kasab remained quiet and offered prayers. He was hanged on 21 November 2012 at 7:30 a.m. (local time), according to an announcement by Home Minister Shinde.[107][108] Kasab's execution by the Maharashtra government happened barely two weeks after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition on 5 November.[107][109]
After the government contemplated burial at sea, the decision was finally made to bury Kasab at Yerwada Jail.[13] Following his execution, Kasab's body was given to amaulvi for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.[110]Ansar Burney, a human rights activist in Pakistan, later offered to help repatriate Kasab's body to Pakistan citing humanitarian reasons.[111][112] The Indian government stated it would consider a formal application if offered.[113] Shinde later stated that Kasab's body was buried in India because Pakistan had refused to claim it.[114]
Authorities inUttar Pradesh banned all celebrations and public gatherings and placed the state on high alert in response.[115] Similarly, the Coimbatore City Police took a group of people inCoimbatore into preventive custody for celebrating Kasab's execution.[116] K. Unnikrishnan, father of MajorSandeep Unnikrishnan, said though the execution was necessary, it was not something to "rejoice over" and that the ensuing celebrations were "foolishness."[117]
In Pakistan, the general and official government response was muted, with the media treating the execution as another news item, according toThe Hindu.[118] Though some journalists attempted to elicit statements from villagers in Kasab's village of Faridkot, they met with a hostile response. A senior LeT commander issued an anonymous statement, saying Kasab was a hero who would "inspire more fighters to follow his path."[118] ThePakistani Taliban's spokesmanEhsanullah Ehsan issued a statement threatening Indians with retaliation and declaring Kasab would be avenged. Ehsan also made demands for Kasab's body to be returned to his family. "If they don't return his body to us or his family we will capture Indians and will not return their bodies."[119]
While commending on the well appreciated role of two women officers in the smooth handling of the execution, Patil later responded to threats to avenge Kasab's death by stating that anybody daring to attack the soil of Maharashtra would meet the same fate.[120]
People listed initalics have died. | |
| Al-Qaeda members | |
| Held inGuantanamo Bay | |
| 2008 Mumbai attacks | |
| Others | |
| Wrongly accused | |
1 Currently imprisoned. 2 Released after serving sentence. | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
