(Poetic) Justice Finally Served?

extremism |ikˈstrēˌmizəm|

noun

the holding of extreme political or religious views; fanaticism

November has been an interesting month for a number of reasons starting from the (apparently disappointing) release of Jab Tak Hain Jaan and ending with the (extremely shocking) surprise hanging of Ajmal Kasab 5 days before the anniversary of the day he waged war on India 4 years ago. It is only fair that this post explores who Kasab was, what he did and the poetic justice that was delivered to him 5 days ago.

One amongst 10 men handpicked from a bunch of recruits taught to swim, sail, shoot and manipulate explosives amongst other skills probably required to wage war against a country, Ajmal Kasab was part of the high-profile 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks that saw an organized series of strikes in the soul of India (assuming Delhi to be its heart only because of geographical positioning), killing 164 people and wounding at least 310. This Jihad group was trained in and came from Pakistan and began their attack on 26^th November and lasted till 29^th November. Kasab was the sole surviving terrorist.

I actually remember pretty clearly when the attacks happened. My parents were glued to NDTV in the living room for 3 whole days as we saw the same footage being played over and over again while India attempted to grapple with what exactly was happening.

Kasab confessed to the majority of it and explained in detail as to how the operation was carried out. However, in December 2009 Kasab retracted his statement and claimed – I’m not making this up- that he had come to Mumbai to try his luck in Bollywood. A large part of why his trial took so long was because no lawyer wanted to represent him on ethical basis. I can see why. Along with the ethics and all, he did have an 11,000 page chargesheet charging him on no less than 86 counts. Try the phrase “legal suicide”. Fast forward a couple of years and he was sentenced to death in 2010.

Of course, anybody even remotely familiar with the Indian death penalty will know it can be likened to what we unfairly associate blondes with- a joke (no offence). Kasab appealed the decision, which was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee (like he had a choice, to be honest). Nevertheless, nobody actually thought anything would happen. Like I said, the Indian death penalty was kind of a standing joke- nothing illustrated this better than the fact that before stepping down from the post of president, Pratibha Patil changed the death sentence of a rapist to a life term in jail. The awkward moment when the president finds out that rapist she granted life to had died 5 years earlier…

The last time we hung someone was in 2004. That is 8 years ago. According to Amnesty International, at least 200 people have been sentenced to death since 2007, but not a single one has been hung. Till now.

21^st November, 2012, 7:30 a.m.: Kasab was placed in a special cell, with no other inmate being aware of his presence. Hung quietly and without any prior announcement to the media or the public, the execution was carried out with efficiency and discretion one does not usually associate with the Indian government. Makes one wonder what we could do if we really wanted to.

The government has been praised, obviously, as they should be (unless you are opposed to capital punishment in general). The opposition has given them their due credit as well, and this is really a rare moment of the country working the way it should (although long overdue- better late than never though). This might have given the UPA government the emotional leg-up that they will need in the coming parliamentary elections. Brownie points to them! Relations with Pakistan have remained, to a large extent, unaffected (although hopefully this isn’t the calm before the storm). Pakistanis are all up (as they usually are) demanding retaliation but the government has chosen to downplay the hanging. Neither the Lashkar-e-Toiba nor the Taliban have been as quiet though- they have threatened to “kidnap Indians and not return their bodies”, apparently mirroring the manner in which Kasab was executed. They’re angry about Kasab not being given a proper Islamic burial. What about all those times we fed him mutton biryani because he threw a tantrum in jail (biryani is arguably one of India’s finest culinary achievements. Proponents of butter chicken & naan might disagree though)?

This article is dedicated to those who lost someone they knew in 26/11. Kasab’s death may not bring them back, but it takes us a step closer to a number of things from closure to a glimmer of faith in our government. 

-Lassie

Cartoon Sources:

http://faadooindia.com/2012/11/microsofts-next-os-will-be-called-kasab/

http://www.indiatimes.com/india/kasab-just-a-gunman-world-media-needs-to-wake-up-47988.html