NEW DELHI:
Ajmal Kasab’s hanging is going to be an affair to remember in Indian history.
Local media on Thursday had a blow-by-blow account of how the Pakistan-born 25-year-old’s hanging was planned.
It was in utmost secrecy that the Congress Core Group – comprising the topmost leaders from the Congress Party and the incumbent government – discussed and meticulously outlined the exact sequence of events which led to the second execution in India in the last 15 years.
Kasab’s execution seemed like a political decision — several ministers on Thursday were at pains to point out that the event had been endorsed even by Muslims in India. All the crucial elements of the establishment – including the president, home ministry, prime minister’s office, the Congress Core Group and the Congress president’s office – were involved.
The whole affair, called the Operation X, was overwhelmingly clandestine. The government’s biggest fear was that if the news of a Pakistani terrorists’ execution was leaked, a community could have become impassioned to take the law into its own hands, inviting retaliation from other communities and in no time, rioting could have started. For the state, it seemed imperative to prevent all this at any cost.
On October 16, 2012, India’s union home ministry recommended to the president that he reject Kasab’s mercy plea. The file reached Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on November 5 and the same day he returned the file with the remark, “Rejected”.
On November 8, the Maharashtra government was briefed by the union home ministry about the president’s decision. Fewer than 75 people were involved in the entire exercise. On November 11, the judge, who was supposed to sign the death warrant, was taken into confidence. He fixed the date, place and time of Kasab’s execution — and was requested not to mingle with the public till Kasab was hanged.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (16)
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The government’s biggest fear was that if the news of a Pakistani terrorists’ execution was leaked, a community could have become impassioned to take the law into its own hands, inviting retaliation from other communities and in no time, rioting could have started.*
Such comments are coming from that country where Muslims kill Muslims and call itself a Islamic Republic.
Finally some good work by Congress. Now they need to plan "Operation Y" for Mohammed Hafeez, and "Operation Z" for Dawood Ibrahim. Well Done President of India and Home Minstry !!.
@Foreign Leg:
if there was nothing to hide by such a secret hanging.....
I do not agree with the Author . No group or formation in India would have opposed the execution . The secrecy was required to prempt the possiblity of LET or it's surrogates staging a small or a major incident which would have received disproportionate global publicity . The worst case scenario must have the remote possiblity of LET succeeding in kidnapping a soft target and negotiating with the Indian Government for the release of Kasab. The Khandar hijacking of Indian Airlines plane where the Indian State had to release hardcore terrorists is lesson that the Indian Government has learned well . In war on terror the advantage of the surprise is normally with the terrorist who choose the time and location of operation . In this case Government ceased ths advantage . Must appreciate the attention to detail ,planning and speed of carrying out the execution . The officers and politicians involved deserve credit .
I have not idea why it needed to be a super-secret. Hardly, anything would have happened. The fears about community riots are misplaced. From what I have seen, Indian Muslims themselves had to face a lot of social heat because of the Mumbai tragedy and would have been least likely to object to it.
.... and thus the last evidence of the Mumbai attacks was erased.
After reading the news item, it seems that the Indians were all united and have one opinion that Kasab should be awarded capital punishment.
This is one of the basic reasons that there was no immediate reaction in the masses after the news of Kasab's hanging was released by the concerned authorities.
Terrorists are terrorists irrespective of their religions, caste, region. Fatahullah Gulan, a prominent Turk-Muslim Scholar, states that terrorists are not Muslims and Muslims are not terrorists.
An elite class uses such innocent people to protect their an iota of interest in the name of security or national interest. Such tacts are engineered in a bid to spoil trust building measures between Pakistan and India. And petty bourgeoisie class is aware if peace is rife so can no longer enjoy the Budget which they engulf in the name of security.
Every one in India and Pakistan knows who these elements are who do not want peace and tranquility.
If it was Pakistan and a terrorist was being hanged for a change , the anchors and reporters would have covered the event like a 20-20 match, asking the family and the people about their feelings and would have commented from the family background of hangman, to the quality of rope, the noose and the type of knot. They would have asked the hangman about his feelings before and after pulling the lever. They would have made his family go mad and would have put the blame on the President of Pakistan and Prime Minister for signing rental power plants.
"Local media on Thursday had a blow-by-blow account of how the Pakistan-born 25-year-old’s hanging was planned"
Haha....as usual making a bollywood movie out of everything
“The file reached Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on November 5 and the same day he returned the file with the remark, “Rejected”. . Nonsense, The President of India received the file from the Union Home Ministry on October 16. The clemency petition was rejected by the President on November 5. . Dramatic though it appears in the above article, the President did not just write "Rejected" and return the file. He signed on a note rejecting the mercy plea. . I don't know why ET through this article and previous ones is painting this episode as if India has a kangaroo justice system.
Strange comment. The last time there was a communal backlash to any kind of terror activity or action on terrorist was about a decade back.
There is no 'community' that gets impassioned by punishment to criminals/terrorists. It is just a few politicians who want to manipulate the situation. With a bit of stringent policing it is manageable almost always.
many articles about Kasab's hanging in ET. Not a single article pressurizing Pak givt to find out how and who brain washed Kasab to do this horrible act (Even though the rest of the world knows all). Such handlers are damaging Pakistan much more than a war with its neighbours. They are at it breeding snakes which are crawling all over Pakistan. What is that Pak wants to hide about kasab's handlers???? Complicity or incompetence. Either of them will finish Pakistan as a country.
"The file reached Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on November 5 and the same day he returned the file with the remark, “Rejected”.
worthy of the title president