As every other day I got up today and checked my mobile
phone to get the message “Ajmal Kasab has been hanged”. Being a “Doubting
Thomas” I quickly checked the news which confirmed that the news is indeed
true. I felt happy that in spite of all the pressure on the government the
government handled the issue in such a dignified matter within the ambits of
the law. After going through the details for once I was amazed at the amount of
secrecy which was maintained in this case, which is quite unusual about
government affairs in India.
Just giving an additional thought to the entire episode, has
justice been delivered to the victims and their families? Is hanging Kasab the desired
logical and physical end to this planned massacre? Kasab was just a pawn in
this planned operation, he was just a villager who was brainwashed to be a
terrorist by bringing forth to him the atrocities committed against his fellow
Muslim brothers through CD’s of riots against Muslims in India. It has always
been found that terrorists use distorted and misrepresented facts to brainwash
potential candidates for terrorist activities. If we need to punish anyone it
is the planners of such terrorist activities who need to be punished. It is the
people who instil hatred against other communities which lead to intolerance
culminating in riots who need to be punished. Kasab was just an uneducated
villager who was literally used and today as everyone celebrates his death the
root causes for the heinous massacre live without fear of being convicted.
Indeed there is a reason for us to cheer that there exists a
law which punishes the guilty, which is equal for all and which gives even the
most obvious criminal a chance to defend his own self. But should we be
actually celebrating his death? Will his death be of any benefit other than the
cost of keeping him alive? Can we yet take a sigh of relief?
