Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist caught alive in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, seems to become a closed chapter in history for his family and Pakistan government.
It has been a year after Kasab was hanged on the Yerawada Central Prison premises on November 21, 2012, neither his family members nor Pakistan government have contacted the prison authorities.
The 25-year-old terrorist was hanged at 7.30 am in clandestine Operation ‘X’ and his body was buried inside the jail premises on the day of the execution.
The jail authorities have taken precautions to not allow any inmate to trespass on Kasab’s burial area.
Yerawada jail superintendent Yogesh Desai said that Kasab’s family or Pakistan government are yet to contact them.
The execution in the Mumbai attack trial brought closure to many people affected by the audacious strike by 10 terrorists of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in which 166 people were killed.
Nine LeT men were killed during the 60-hour siege that began on the night of November 26, 2008.
Kasab, who was lodged at the Arthur Road prison in Central Mumbai ever since his arrest soon after the terror attack, was whisked out of his heavily guarded cell in the intervening night of November 18 and 19 after president Pranab Mukherhee rejected the mercy petition on November 5. The Maharashtra government had been communicated to take action after the mercy plea of Kasab was rejected, following which it was decided that he would be executed on November 21 at 7.30 am. The Centre had informed Pakistan government and Kasab’s family about his execution.
A senior state jail officer who was part of Operation X told dna, “Minutes before execution, Kasab appeared to be nervous but was quiet and offered prayers. From his body language, we could make out that he was nervous. However, Kasab remained quiet before he was taken out from his cell for the hanging in the morning.”
Kasab was also made to sign his death warrant before being moved to Pune jail on November 19. He was informed that his clemency petition had been rejected by Mukherjee. After reading out his death warrant, Kasab was asked to sign it which he did. Later, he was taken by the Yerawada jail police and the Mumbai police were kept out of the loop to maintain secrecy of the operation.
Barring a couple of officers, the 200-strong contingent of ITBP, which has been guarding him since March 2009, had been kept out of the loop about his transfer to Pune jail.
After the execution of Kasab, central agencies had alerted jail authorities to tighten security.
Deputy inspector general (state prisons) Rajendra Dhamne said, “We have beefed up the security at the jail.” Dhamne clarified that no specific alert has been given for Thursday by any agency.
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