Hang Kasab as soon as possible - is the popular mandate

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI - Now that Ajmal Amir Kasab has been awarded the death penalty he should be hanged soon, was the unanimous sentiment of people everywhere, especially in Mumbai where the 26/11 carnage took place, after the death sentence to the Pakistani terrorist was given Thursday.

In Mumbai, there were celebrations on the streets as people burst firecrackers and distributed sweets to express their joy on Kasab getting the death sentence, while in the national capital most people said the terrorist should be hanged without any delay.

As soon as the judgement was given by the Special Court in Mumbai, people began distributing sweets, burst firecrackers and shouted in joy. Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive during the Mumbai terror attack, along with nine other terrorists held the country’s commercial capital to siege in November 2008, killing 166 people and injuring 244.

Celebrations were also held outside Special Public Prosecutor Ujjawal’s Nikam hotel in the CST where firecrackers were burst along with the beating of drums. People gathered outside his hotel with garlands and bouquets to felicitate him for his feat.

At the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, where Kasab and his associate Abu Ismail massacred over 50 people, many commuters lit a lamp in front of a memorial to the victims.

“We are glad Kasab has been awarded the death sentence. It comes as a tribute to all those who lost their lives in the terror attacks at the CST,” said Anil Parmar, a daily commuter.

Party workers of the Shiv Sena also burst firecrackers at various places to welcome the death penalty.

Members of the National Institute of Jihad Against Atrocities and Terrorism (NIJAAT) distributed sweets to passers by near the Maratha Mandir in Mumbai Central, south Mumbai. “We are glad he has been sentenced to death,” said NIJAAT convenor Haji Hyder Azam.

In Mumbai and in New Delhi most people sought immediate execution of the death sentence, with some even saying he should be shot by a firing squad in public.

In the western suburbs of Mumbai, people celebrated by distributing sweets to passers by. “This is our way to welcome Kasab’s death sentence. We just hope his execution also takes place soon,” said Ameya S. from suburban Goregaon.

Fauzan Umar, 23, a resident of Darya Ganj in the old quarters of Delhi, said that Kasab should have been hanged 17 months ago. “Why have we waited for so long,” said the student who is pursuing software engineering.

Speaking in the same vein, Umar added the judgement showed that “justice has been done to those people who had died in the Mumbai massacre. This shows our judicial system is still effective and credible.”

Simmy Hasija, 21, demanded that both Kasab and Afzal Guru, sentenced to death in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, be hanged together as “both are cold blooded murderers”.

“He (Kasab) should be hanged immediately. No punishment can ever suffice his actions. Even after killing so many people he used to shamelessly smile in the court. Moreover, crores of taxpayers money has been spent on his security. It’s high time that we should put an end to this nonsense,” Hasija told IANS.

Kriti Mehra, a HR trainee with a private company, said she hoped that Kasab’s appeals in various courts should not become a way to give him more time to live.

“He may appeal in a higher court which will again take many more years. People of India will be satisfied the day he is hanged,” he added.