KASAB'S LAST WORDS

KASAB'S LAST WORDS: ALLAH 'KASAM, AISI GHALATI DOBARA NAHI HOGI'

Ajmal Kasab was awakened in the wee hours of Wednesday.

About half an hour was spent in bath and prayers. He was then given new clothes to wear.

Between 5.30 am and 6 am, top police officers, including Inspector General of Prisons (Maharashtra [ Images ]) Meeran Borwankar and Jail Superintendent Yogesh Desai, reached the Yerawada prison in Pune.

Kasab was first taken for a medical check-up. The jail doctor checked him and issued a fitness certificate as per the jail manual.

A hangman traveled from Nagpur since Yerawada prison does not have a hangman.

Kasab was then taken to the special cell where the sentence was to be carried out.

Officials present said Kasab's face showed no remorse as he was taken to the cell.

Police sources said he was asked two questions: Do you have any last wish? Do you want your belongings to be given to someone?

Kasab replied in the negative to both questions. He neither expressed his last wish nor did he want his belongings to be given to others.

Officials said his last words were, 'Allah kasam, aisi ghalati dobara nahi hogi (I swear by Allah, I will never commit such a wrong again).

At exactly 7.30 am, the lever was pushed to hang Kasab. Ten minutes later the medical officer declared the terrorist dead.

At 7.46 am, police officers conveyed the message to Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil  that 'Operation X is over' and from then the news gained wings.

Kasab's corpse was buried on the jail premises itself. Within half an hour, people thronged the prison gates, celebrating, distributing sweets.

AJMAL KASAB'S LAWYERS

AJMAL KASAB'S LAWYERS WELCOME EXECUTION

Defence lawyers, who appeared for Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab in the sessions and Bombay High Court in Mumbai, on Wednesday welcomed his execution and said that by taking his case out of turn, the government has brought some peace to the victims of the 26/11 terror attack.

Defence lawyers Amin Solkar, Farhana Shah and Abbas Kazmi, however, raised questions on the secrecy over the hanging. "It is good that the government expedited this case as it must have been done in the interest of the society and

victims. May be guarding him for so long was becoming a burden on the exchequer. But why the secrecy ?" Solkar said. Endorsing Solkar's view, Farhana Shah said, "I was shocked. It was all of a sudden. Why was the execution shrouded in such secrecy." Solkar and Shah defended Kasab in the High Court after they were appointed by it to appear for the accused. Kazmi, who appeared for Kasab before the sessions court, opined that the government might have taken Kasab's mercy petition out of turn as it was an exceptional case.

"This case had international ramifications also. The common man was waiting for this execution. Even the victims will be at some peace now," he said. Kasab was hanged this morning at Pune's Yerwada prison, four years after the November 26 terror attack. Kasab was awarded the death penalty by the sessions court in May

2010 which was confirmed by the Bombay High Court in February last year and then by the Supreme Court. His mercy petition was last week rejected by the President.