Justice at last, says slain sailor’s wife

It has been a long wait of justice for the families of the five fishermen killed by Ajmal Kasab and his fidayeen colleagues on the ill-fated trawler, Kuber, four years back. However, their wait ended on Wednesday when Kasab, the lone surviving member of the terror team that struck at different places in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, was hanged at Yerawada prison in Pune.

The owner of the trawler, Hiralal Masani, belongs to Porbandar but he was not on Kuber the day the five fishermen were killed by Kasab and the other Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives. (The terror operatives killed four fishermen immediately but kept Amarsinh Solanki, the captain of the trawler, alive till he had showed them the way to Mumbai. Then he was also killed. His body was later found in the machine room of the vessel.)

The hanging of Kasab has brought great emotional relief to Amarsinh’s wife, Ranibai, who had fasted and prayed for justice since the day she learnt that her husband had been killed by terrorists. Of the five fishermen killed on Kuber, four belonged to Gujarat while Amarsinh belonged to Diu.  For the families of the five fishermen, it has been a long wait for justice. Wednesday’s hanging, however, has made the wait worthwhile. “Justice has come late but we are glad that at least one of the culprits has been punished,” Amarsinh’s son, Hitesh, told DNA over phone from Diu.

Hitesh was a schoolboy when his father was killed. He is now older and is currently a BA student in Diu. For Ranibai, too, Kasab’s hanging brings a sense of closure. “God has finally answered my prayers. Now I can die in peace. I had fasted and prayed to many gods for justice,” she told DNA over phone from Diu.  Masani, the owner of Kuber, has also mourned the death of the fishermen who were his employees. He had stopped celebrating Diwali after the incident but fired crackers at his house on Wednesday when he heard about Kasab’s hanging. Masani told DNA over phone from Porbandar that he felt he had received full compensation for his loss.  “I had waited for this day for four years. I was afraid I may not live long enough to see Kasab punished but I am glad that he has been hanged,” Masani said. He added that on Wednesday he had celebrated Diwali and greeted people and his family members for the New Year after four years.