Kasab is a killing machine, must get death: Prosecution

MUMBAI - Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab is “Satan, a devil” and “a killing machine” and must get the death penalty for murder, the prosecution in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case said Tuesday.

In his arguments a day after Kasab was pronounced guilty by Special Judge M.L. Tahaliyani, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said Kasab had been convicted for mass murder and waging war against India.

“If all these are read together, the maximum punishment is death and minimum is life imprisonment,” Nikam said.

“I am for maximum punishment and this submission is not with a sense of revenge - we don’t seek barbaric justice - justice should meet the end,” Nikam argued.

Tahaliyani had Monday pronounced Kasab, 23, guilty on all 86 counts for the Nov 26-29 2008 mayhem that left 166 Indians and foreigners dead and 244 injured in Mumbai.

Nikam said that in Kasab’s case, it was not just the murder but the way in which the murder was committed, and that the accused had the “urge to kill” that shook the collective conscience of society.

This makes it “the rarest of rare cases”, not merely in terms of the number of deaths caused, but also the manner of causing the deaths and the high degree of cruelty make it an exception, he said.

Nikam further argued that Kasab did not only kill, but he “enjoyed the killing”, which shows his unscrupulous attitude and total disregard for human life.

Terming Kasab “a snake in human form, Satan and Ravana both together, an agent of the devil, devil in human form and a disgrace to entire humanity”, Nikam said that the terror attacks were carried out with previous planning and extreme cruelty in which even members of the police force were killed.

“Kasab killed people with design, without mercy. He and Abu Ismail were responsible for killing 72 people, including 14 policemen, and the victims were helpless, defenceless and there was no provocation,” Nikam said.

He said that Kasab and Ismail killed navigator Amarchand Solanki of the ship Kuber, 52 people in Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, seven in Cama Hospital, nine outside the hospital, two were killed in the Vile Parle taxi blast and policeman Tukaram Ombale, who sacrificed his life, but helped nab Kasab.

Among the victims were eight women and seven small children, besides 14 policemen.

“They (the terrorist duo) killed without discretion or distinction, young or old, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians,” Nikam stressed.

Calling Kasab a “killing machine”, Nikam said that such machines were manufactured in Pakistan. He explained that Solanki, navigator of Kuber, was killed in a brutal manner butchered to pieces.

“In fact, Kasab, the name itself means a butcher,” Nikam said.

He added that Kasab remained unsatisfied with the wanton killing and wanted to kill more people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

Quoting from Kasab’s confession, Nikam pointed out that the terrorist was disappointed that they were delayed by an hour in the voyage by sea and missed the huge peak hour crowds at CST that evening.

Demanding death penalty for Kasab, Nikam told Tahaliyani that this would meet the end of justice, serve as a deterrent not only to Kasab but also as a signal to like-minded people.

“If we don’t award the death penalty (to Kasab), India would remain a soft target,” Nikam declared before Kasab’s lawyer K.P. Pawar started his arguments.

The final judgement in the case, detailing the punishment for Kasab, is likely to be delivered Thursday.