Ajmal Kasab, the “killing machine”, has been pronounced guilty in the dastardly siege of Bombay. He is to be hanged and the state prosecutor Ujwal Nikam has held up the judgement copy with the cover screaming “Yes, you are guilty.”
Even responsible TV faces admit they have been a little discomfited by the tone and tenor of the television coverage, the blood lust in words and images, leading up to the judgement in the November 26 trial.
Admittedly, the sentencing will assuage some of the sentiments of the nearly 200 victims. And obviously Kasab is only going to get what he gave to the innocent bystanders at VT: death.
Still, questions remain.
With 309 convicts on the bench, with the Afzal Guru case still hanging fire, with 29 mercy petitions before the President, when will Kasab’s turn come, if at all? And will it change anything?
Editorial in Deccan Herald:
“It remains a moot point if the practice of awarding death penalty really serves the purpose for which it is envisaged.
“Fifteen years ago, India had told the United Nations that death penalty was required to instill fear and deter future criminals from perpetrating grave crimes, including terrorist acts. Yet, there is no evidence to suggest that these harsh statutory provisions have helped reduce crime.
“Nearly a hundred countries have abolished capital punishment, a dozen others have reviewed their statutes to preclude ‘ordinary’ crimes from their purview and over 30 others have undertaken not to invoke the harsh punishment though the provision for it continues to exist in their respective statutes.
“Apart from the lack of empirical evidence to establish that the fear of death penalty reduces the incidence of heinous crimes in society, liberal democracies have generally accepted the argument that the state should desist from taking away an individual’s right to life as a measure of extreme punishment — death cannot be a punishment; it is its abrupt end.”
Read the full editorial: Life over death
Cartoon: courtesy E.P. Unny/ The Indian Express
Also read: CHURUMURI POLL: Will Ajmal Kasab be hanged?
All are in killing spree..!? Terrorist, public prosecutor, victims , TV reporter, anchor, general public …list goes on. Why these humans behave very inhuman way…Then what is the difference between you people and terrorist ?!
If we do not hang Kasab & keep him in the jail and then tomorrow there may be scenario where terrorists may hijack an indian plane & try to excahnge Kasab wth the lives of passenger. In that scenario we need to send this editor with Human rights friends to negotiate with terrorists. Next time if there is hostage like situation instead of air dropping commandos we need to drop these anit national Human rights people to negotiate with the terrorists. Honestly these pseudo secuals & human rights people along with biased media houses like ndtv & cnn ibn have become a pain in this country.
Death cannot be a punishment; it is its abrupt end.—Whose death? Scores of innocent people who were killed on that fateful day or the death of this terrorist by punishment, who was responsible and happy to be responsible doing that? I think you look at it anywhich way, it is a defeatist arguement in the least!
Such crimes should be dealth with on an immediate basis, shud be as expeditious as it possibly can. It simply aint tangible in a country like ours to abolish capital punishment what with the enormous numbers in crime and terrorism.
the death penalty is inconsistent with india’s traditionally compassionate society.
criminal law is driven by a theory of justice, but if it operates outside of cultural norms, what stops our society from degenerating into something like a radical islamic society? education, persuasion and compassion — all with a goal of rehabilitation — is really india’s only option.
i strongly believe that kasab — what an apt name! — should get life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, which really should be the maximum punishment in our society. american studies have found that solitary confinement (such as that that imposed in the “supermax” prison in arizona) may deter would-be violent criminals better than any sentence of death.
*vinayc*
the scenario you raise may be pre-empted if our home ministry shows some guts to strongly resist to blackmail tactics. when terrorists know in advance india does not release prisoners in exchange for hostages (just as america does not), then there would be a disincentive for another hijack/kidnap.
national Human rights people are working for the right of humans
i know one thing. Kasab must be hanged he must be killed. why??? because he killed my marathi manoos.
he must be some persian or aryan like all the north indians who are terrorists (as classical civilization describes them) for one reason they are either persians or aryans.
or is he a greek tribe who migrated during the second wave and settled on a piece of land called MAHARASHTRA and claimed himself to be a maratha.
or is he among the very first migratory tribes (who suppressed MUNDA people) and claimed himself the classical civilization with the classical language.
he must be killed, right now. arundhati roy should raise voice or even user her useless pen and write some garbage and muse not just kasab but also naxalites.
Traitors like Arundhathi Roy will come and say ‘ Kasab deserves Bharath Rathna’. It’s unfortunate to see that Arundhathi like traitors escaping from the label of traitor because of her writing skill. The word ‘forgive’ is only suitable for those who haven’t lost anything. We are not ready to forget anythig. We want his dead body to heal our wounds. If our system fail to hang him as soon as possible, I will do it…
Mysore Peshavan,
I welcome your suggestion as a compassionate man. To further this compassion I humbly request you to accompany Kasabji in his cell and do your best to educate him by staying in close proximity to him. After all the glorious compassionate tradition of India rests on your amazing wisdom and insight on the karma behind compassion! Thanks.
This post and so many others that I have seen opposing Execution of Kasab is pointless.
The purpose of Death Punishment is to deny a person a fundamental right (life) through a process of law, where state takes the retribution on behalf of the wronged.
It can’t be anyone’s case that people shouldn’t want retribution for the killing of their loved ones?? If the legal system won’t do it, what is to stop them from taking up a gun??
Since Kasab is Pakistani “citizen” i dont think there is any chance of him applying for president’s pardon. is it possible? can anyone enlighten me?
@sahana
inhuman way?? Actually it is quite human to lie cheat steal kill beat-up grab rape stab etc. Only difference is the way it is done and the time it is done. If a corporate or a conglomerate changes laws suddenly for profit despite the change effectively ruining many lives, it is called strategic decision. If one commits a rape or thievery or burglary etc it is a social crime. If one wears a government uniform and kills, he/she is called a soldier/a patriot! If he/she doesn’t he/she is called a criminal or terrorist! There is nothing inhuman in any of these, it is all about human ego and greed!
@das
Big words… you will hang kasab yourself?? Wonder where you were hiding all this time? Did you help write dialogues for RDB by any chance?
… On a more serious note, if “traitors” like A roy didn t keep opposing every haphazard govt move, there will be no way of keep tabs on our society/government. That way the reins of power will continue to be concentrated in hands of a few, and we will end up with a system analogous to the case system, only there won’t be dalits n brahmins and OBCs and SC STs for churumuri to bash/support, we will just have a society which will be quite similar ot the one described by G. Orwell in the book 1984.
Traditionally Compassionate society!!
I would like you to be clear with what exactly is meant by compassion. All the good things like compassion, love, kindness, mercy … need to be directed towards only those who deserve it. Any act taken up in the interest of the betterment of the innocent victims is always justified. Look at what Geetha says or what all our mythological heroes have done. No mercy is shown to anyone who deserves to be immediately eliminated.
It is not just the question of punishment! More crucial is the question of avoiding more such crimes! A sincere endeavour to stop probable crimes that may put the life of more people into danger – I think that is an act of compassion!! And if for that death penalty is the answer, why not…?
He must have been shot on spot where he was found, India would have saved 50 crores for polititians to thrive! Instead of wasting another 100 crores on him and keeping him in jail, hang him and let him be free of his suffering.
There is one more reason why Kasab needs to be Executed (and at earliest). Though he is not an important member of the terrorist Hierarchy, there is enough symbolism in getting him released for some other Crazy Nuts to try something similar to Khandahar Hijacking.
And Our home minister, PC, is on record saying it is difficult to say what decision he would arrive at under similar circumstances – which means, he’d consider releasing hardcore terrorists!
Why get there in the first place?
But, while executing Kasab, India should make sure he is executed in a manner that is entirely unacceptable to Muslims. Don’t know what Islam says about the kind of death one should have, but if there is a death in which they don’t go to heaven, then that’s the kind of death he should be given.
This should be publicized too – for these folks were ready to die for heaven, but the lesson should be – They won’t get it..
Then tomorrow there may be scenario where terrorists may hijack an indian plane & try to excahnge Kasab wth the lives of passenger.
That is possible only, when BJP is in power, which does not look like anytime soon.
It’s unfortunate to see that Arundhathi like traitors escaping from the label of traitor because of her writing skill.
Govt is banning free speech, so rest assured.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Home-threatens-UAPA-against-Naxal-supporters/616255
BUT, WHAT ABOUT THE ONES WHO LET OFF PURLIA ARMS SMUGGLERS?? Nationalists perhaps.
@ Jobless
Kasab being a Pakistani national does not preclude him from seeking Presidential pardon. Article 72 of the Constitution (which provides for presidents power to pardon) is applicable to any person who has been sentenced to death.
@Harkol
People may want retribution for the killing of their loved ones but the Indian system does not subscribe to the retributive theory of punishment. I’m not saying that is a good or a bad thing but that is how it is. When the death sentence is given, the court does not say that this compensates (or is meant to compensate) for the victims’ death. Instead it says that a person who has perpetrated such a crime has lost the right to live and should be removed from society. Please note how they also take into account that he doesn’t show any remorse.
Now we know that this man is a mere foot soldier and the masters are in Pakistan. However we have in our captivity a man who has been through training in secret locations by potent members of these terrorist organizations. Today US has caught Headley and similarly someone suspected to be Kasab’s trainer may be caught somewhere. Who will be there to confirm this suspicion if Kasab has been hanged? Will he not be a valuable eyewitness? He could also perhaps identify his training camp if we later come across photos of a location that could potentially have been a training camp.
Of course one may say he would not cooperate but that can be arranged with a simple set of incentives and disincentives.
That said I agree with Harkol’s point that keeping him alive in custody may be a reason for some crazy nuts to hijack a plane.
One question for all the opponents of the death penalty. How many of you have been a victim of a violent crime or lost a family member to a violent crime?
Allah will judge all.
just arrange the damn meeting bloody quick for Afzal and meeyan Kasab.
One quick bullet to the back of the head from a .404 relic of a rifle, too much to ask and how many crores did they spend, 50 or 100, what a f***king joke.
hmm, people speaking of forgiveness, did you ever see the corpse strewn Shivaji Terminus pictures, your family members or freinds have never been affected, that is the only reason you speak like this.
We should take a leaf from the colonial powers, where such criminals were castrated first, skinned till they swooned, revived and then quartered.
Fine, I might be a sadist to imagine it, this is the exact punishment that should be meted out to acid throwers and serial killers.
Vikram:
>Indian system does not subscribe to the retributive theory of punishment
While there are many philosophies on justice, the fundamental premise is the same – One’s bad deed will be punished in an equal/reciprocal way, as determined by law. The difference is in providing an opportunity to reform in certain cases.
And if Law hasn’t been changed to remove Death Punishment, it is with a reason – There are cases, who don’t deserve such a consideration of reform.
***
Khan:
>That is possible only, when BJP is in power
THe issue isn’t as clear as that. But, there are precedences within India. Indira Gandhi had refused to negotiate with one set of terrorists, and had Maqbool Bhat executed when they sought his release as a ransom. But, she cultivated another set of terrorists, giving in to their whims till it wasn’t in her political interest. LTTE and Akali Terrorists were tacitly supported by her.
SM Krishna (A congie) paid a huge amount to Veerappan to release Rajkumar.
So, I don’t think it is a party issue, it is muddle headed thinking by all our political class.
@ sahana,
Terrorists (or jihadis or whatever) is not humans. So your point is not valid.
When a mosquito bites you your immediate reaction will be to kill it. If you cannot do it on your own, you go for liquidators and other tools. The same apply here, you don’t put a mosquito in a rehabilitation centre.
If you can do it to a tiny insect, which is only asking for an ounce of your blood, what logic does it have for an animal who has bathed in blood of our dear countrymen and of the athithis from other countries? The fact that he happens to be from our enemy side to destabilize our nation makes it even more dreadful and unpardonable.
Those are lovely words:- ‘Death cannot be a punishment but an abrupt end’, which gives a spiritualistic view. It means to say by hanging him his sins will not come to an end in the court of God. He has to go through it once again in a more painful way that is after death. I wish that he should be reborn in Somalia with vultures hovering around for his skin, peel by peel.
@ Das
It is incorrect to bring in A.Roy here. The topic is our internal matter.
Gita says ‘ If anyone tries to attack your families, brothers and sisters or the moral values are bound to be degenerated. You should take up arms to protect your brethern
What happened to Maoists, is pitiful and people at large are not aware of the facts. It is a common thing that when anybody gets close to outlaws, gets bonded to them emotionally and they see everything in their perspective.
If your thing I am wrong, get to know about Maoists why they are up in arms and what would you do in such circumstances. Or read a open letter sent to a son of a martyr in churumuri.
@Rekha,
I agree with your point. Compassion, help and advice are to be shown only to the deserving.
The subject here does not need any.
What matters here is the velocity; just as you hit the mosquito before it flies off you need to get rid of him before he is forgotten.
The means of doing that is also important so that it is a deterrent to others. He should be publicly hanged and his death celebrated. Remember we celebrate the death of many rakshasas.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-Pakistan-A-nursery-of-modern-jihad-ss-02
“A police investigator in Karachi, where Shahzad is believed to have spent time, said there were “many” madrassas and mosques in the city where educated people were being indoctrinated and manipulated.
“In Karachi, in Lahore, in Peshawar, you have Islamic clergy that preaches radicalism. So it is easy access that makes Pakistan an attractive place,” said security and political analyst Hasan Askari.”
What? madrassas and mosques radicalizing the youth? I can’t fcuking believe it. Need to check the background of Hasan Askari. Most probably he is on the payroll of Mossad or CIA.
***
Nowadays there is a lot of talk about how to fix the terrorism problem emanating from Pakistan. You can kill the terrorists using drones. You can kill the terrorists by sending in the army and all that but is there any way to stop the madrassas and mosques from producing terrorists?