The families of those killed in the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai expressed satisfaction at the execution of Ajmal Kasab on Wednesday. They said they were thankful to the government that justice was finally done to them.
Vijay Salaskar’s wife Smita said they had stopped celebrating festivals and had decided to resume doing so only after Kasab was hanged. “We will celebrate Gudi Padwa and Diwali from next year. I was not sure whether he would be executed in my lifetime. It is also a tribute to Balasaheb Thackeray who always insisted on hanging Kasab,” she said.
Salaskar’s daughter Divya said it was not four years but a 1,461-day wait for her. “The negativity from our house has started to go now. I am at a loss for words to describe my happiness,” she said.
Kavita, wife of Hemant Karkare, who was then ATS chief, said the real perpetrators should be punished as well. “This is incomplete justice as the masterminds and main handlers of 26/11 are still absconding. They should be hanged,” she said.
Vinita, widow of Ashok Kamte, said that though late, the government had given them justice. “The authorities maintained extreme secrecy in carrying out the execution and we are satisfied,” she said.
Eknath, brother of constable Tukaram Omble who was instrumental in capturing Kasab alive but died of his injuries, said, “My brother lost his life fighting Kasab. But I thank Sushilkumar Shinde who kept his word. He had sometime back said he would announce something that the country would like,” he said.
Among the three from Andhra Pradesh who were killed, two are from Hyderabad. Ms Saroja Rao, mother of Vijay Rao Banja, the slain Taj executive chef, said, “Justice is done at last but it should have been done much earlier.” The second bereaved family is that of advocate and tax consultant Lakshmi Narayan Goyal, 55, who had died in a car blast in Mumbai. N. Sanjay, a former employee of Goyal, said, “Several crores were spent on Kasab unnecessarily. He should have been hanged long back. Anyway, it is done at last.”
Ameena Begum, 20, of Nizamabad was the third victim from Andhra. “We would like to thank the authorities for hanging Kasab, who destroyed so many families in India,” said Ameena’s mother, Nurzah Begum, adding, “It is so shameful and unfortunate that the government fed Ajmal Kasab biryani.”