Delhi Gangrape: Convicted But Debate Delays Punishment!

India is a country much used to outrages and debates. Maybe we have mentioned this earlier in these pages. When something horrific happens the nation gets outraged. By the time outrage eases debate takes over. And by the time debate takes over everything about it literally gets over. Back to square one the nation waits for the next most catastrophic to happen.

A fast track court in Delhi convicted all the four accused (the main accused was found hanging in his cell in Tihar Jail sometime back and the another got away with three years for being a ‘minor’) of the Delhi Gangrape case on September 10, 2013. They were found guilty in all thirteen charges made by police against them. Judgment was to be declared today, but got postponed till Friday as debate took over. This is despite all the major forces pitched in this case including the victim’s family, major political parties, the women leaders and the youth organizations demanding death for the rapists most emphatically and vehemently.

Unfortunately in India the worst possible criminal finds a ‘defense’ lawyer who always vouches for the ‘innocence’ of his/her clients. Even terrorist Ajmal Kasab who butchered innocents in full view of the world got a lawyer to ‘defend’ him. The courts listen to their arguments too and various irrelevant factors like ‘poverty’, ‘economic compulsions’, ‘impressionable age’, ‘no previous criminal records’, ‘the families of the criminals’ etc get brought into play. As if the criminals are driven to commit unheard of brutalities by these factors only and at heart they are the angels of angels. What to say or do, this is our legal system ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ is a part of it.

For God’s sake, why a sub-human criminal cannot be considered that and that only! Why their inhuman acts are no longer important as the cases progress? Why their families are dragged into the picture by covering them publicly and even airing what they have to utter? Why talk of reforming these brutes as if the honour and lives they have devoured are material enough only for getting outraged and starting debates? How do you know you can reform them? Won’t these perverts clutch at the straw to escape capital punishment? How can you risk the honour and lives of many more women again when you let loose these ‘reformed’ animals in the society? High time India stops to be a ‘democracy’ when you deal with enemies of mankind.

We demand Death for the Rapists. Don’t ever wait for the ‘rarest of rare cases’, give them death in every case. Don’t get outraged in your comfort zones. Don’t debate. Come out in the streets. Take Action. Now!  

Politics Of Terror: And Then Afzal Guru Was Hanged!

In another masterful and top secret operation, the second in three months, the Government of India executed the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Afzal Guru in the national capital’s Tihar Jail at 8 am yesterday.  Justice was delivered after long eleven years. On the fateful day of 13^thDecember 2001 a stunning attack was carried out on the Indian Parliament in session and within 48 hours of the attack Afzal Guru was hauled up by the police. He was held responsible for plotting and planning this daring attack right on India’s sovereignty. Afzal Guru was sentenced to death and the Supreme Court of India confirmed it in 2005. Guru’s wife appealed for clemency with the President of India and the death penalty had been pending since then. The terrorist had been lodged in a high security isolated cell in Tihar Jail since 2001 and yesterday, the 9^th of February 2013, he was hanged just a few meters away. The jail authorities informed about his burial inside the jail premises later.

Why the great delay? Politics? Yes, say the opposition political leaders in view of the 2014 General Elections and the alleged non-performance of the coalition government. The Government of India said it was done in due process of law and any politicization of the issue would be unfortunate. At the same time Congress leaders in Maharashtra reportedly introspected on the possibility of early elections. The main opposition party BJP had to welcome the execution, but said the delay was immensely political. The BJP had been using the delay in Afzal Guru Execution issue as a major political plank and while questioned on its possible loss now of an election campaign for 2014 the party countered by saying that the Government had to do it thanks to the BJP’s intense public opinion drive. Politics of words and of taking credit?

The BJP also alleged that the execution was carried out just to balance the repercussions caused by the statement made by the Indian Home Minister on right-wing terrorism recently.  This brings us deeper into the Indian terror politicking scenario.

In this country terrorists are known more for their statehood or religion or any related parameter and less for the cowardly acts they commit to annihilate innocents. Terror gets classified as per such parameters and every class is blatantly and stoutly defended by its loyal supporters. The Kashmir valley had been put under indefinite curfew and stray incidents of violence were reported since yesterday. Why? Because terrorist Afzal Guru was a Kashmiri and his state and religious supporters including his family considered him innocent. Just the same way fiendish terrorists belonging to other state or religion garner blind support for themselves. Parameters stretching up to language, castes and colors continue to be the cross currents of the Indian politicking that often causes interference, hindrance and intolerance. Politics of diversity?

To take this murky point a little further people always against the death penalty expressed the sentiments that no person should be hanged in a civilized society. Now, they consider the society ‘civilized’ only when brutal terrorists or criminals or rapists face capital punishment, and not when innocents get killed, murdered and raped anytime day or night, anywhere and almost every day. Politics of ‘human’ rights? Anyway, as we have said earlier, ours not to reason why…!

Politics or not, a terrorist gets his deserving punishment that at least makes the kin of the victims happy. A strong message also goes out for terrorists, criminals and rapists. Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru dealt with in three months. Justice finally gets delivered, better late than never.

Terrorist Ajmal Kasab Hanged: India Send Out A Strong Message!

Just four days before the 4^th anniversary of the horrific 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack that led to killings of 166 innocent citizens people of the nation woke up this morning to the welcome news of lone captured LeT terrorist Ajmal Kasab hanged to death.  In a secret operation by the Government of India Ajmal Kasab was hanged at 7.20am today in the high security Yerawada Jail in Pune, three hours drive from Mumbai. The dreaded terrorist lodged in Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai for nearly three years was shifted to Yerawada jail in the wee hours of the 19^th November, 2012. The government maintained utmost secrecy considering the sensitive nature of the operation and the eager-to-sensationalize private news channels got no whiff about it. Overzealous media coverage of the 3-day long 26/11 Attack nearly compromised the military operation and this time the news channels had no chance of going on a crazy countdown or taking the execution live. The Government of India has thus sent out a strong message across the world that India is not going to tolerate anybody trying to attack its sovereignty or to hamper its growth with dastardly terror activities.

Ajmal Kasab was directly responsible for killing scores of innocent passengers in a railway terminus and three top police officers along with three constables. He killed one more police sub inspector while being captured. His scary image with sophisticated guns captured by CCTV cameras went viral across the traumatized nation.   Relatives of the victims, the survivors and the people at large wanted the murderer of innocents punished immediately.

The opposition political parties too have been assailing the Government for the delay in the execution of the terrorist and the costs incurred thereby. But in the largest democracy of the world there are legal remedies that every accused can take resort to and Ajaml Kasab could not be treated as an exception. A lower session court in Mumbai convicted him and awarded the death sentence in 2010. Resorting to the next option Kasab appealed to Bombay High Court which upheld the verdict in 2011. Then appeal went to the Supreme Court of India which confirmed the sentence in 2012. The final mercy petition to the President still remained open and Kasab sent his petition to the President of India on September 18, 2012 for mercy.

It was thanks to the tremendous resolve of the new President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, that the mercy petition was rejected most immediately on 5^th November whereas at least 12 other mercy petitions including that of the dreaded attacker of Indian Parliament Afzal Guru (in 2001) have been pending since almost a decade. The President’s clearance was sent to the Government of Maharashtra on 8^th November and the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan signed it on the 13^th and accordingly the execution date of 21^st November was decided upon. As per arrangements Kasab was shifted to Yerawada.

The people of India, particularly of Mumbai, have welcomed and rejoiced over the final justice done to the offender of India and humanity. They do not bother too much at the moment about the topic of capital punishment being justified or not, because at the moment they want to see one worst criminal of mankind punished.

The Indian Home Minister has said that Pakistanand relatives of Kasab had been informed in advance about the execution. But Pakistan, as usual, denied about receiving or acknowledging any communication from Indiain this regard. The Indian authorities also waited for burial request, but since none came the body of Ajmal Kasab was buried in the Yerawada Prison campus.