A city celebrates the death of two religious fanatics back to back. While mourning is in vogue for one, elation is the general order of the day for the other.
How does that even sound?
Well, first of all, it sounds contradictory. But when I say the city is Mumbai, I guess it would sound more like....suicidal.
Comparing Balasaheb with Ajmal Kasab.........Sitting in India!!!!
I might as well have walked in to the Pentagon and told the president to kiss my ass.
But no matter how diabolical it sounds, obviously its wrong. No one monitored the Shiv Sena leader over a cell phone to butcher and terrorize millions. He was probably at the other end of the phone.
But this blog is really not about that. The three main questions that many (well, still they are a minority) have raised in this is the justification of the elation, the justification of this capital punishment and the justification of capital punishment at all.
I'll take them in the reverse order.
This a very age old question and both sides have a lot of arguments, no doubt.
I can say for myself that I feel there should be the provision of capital punishment in the constitution, though as an extreme measure. More than setting the example, it is required for maintaining a balance. According to the modern concept, the prison is a 'correctional home'. Only when a person is deemed beyond correction, is he/she sentenced for death. If the state does not kill a person and locks him up for his whole life, how does it make a difference? If a prison is to correct a person, what sense does it make if he/she never gets out? Anyway, this logic has a lot of loopholes. This implies the Indian freedom fighters were interpreted as beyond correction by the Queen's government and that further implies that the person in question is killed based on the perception of the crime by the ruling authority.
So, the debate continues.
But one thing that puzzles me about the people who are against the provision of capital punishment itself, is that why are they raising that question now? I mean Kasab was sentenced to death for about two and a half years now........ the question hanging was whether the plea for mercy would be granted or not. But, that nevertheless meant that the provision for capital punishment is still there. Why is the question important at the occurance of a particular execution only? Shouldn't it have been an ongoing question?
Anyway, lets come to the next question. Justification of this particular execution. That's a tricky one. Well, I feel Kasab deserved to be hanged and the only ridiculous thing about the hanging was the time taken for it. It might be that hanging a terrorist involves a lot of diplomatic decision.
But overall, I felt the decision was far too convenient to be the results of a process. Congress in deep soup with allegations of corruption, inflation, FDI and right in the middle of it a Congress president pushing the pedal on a long pending decision which triggers national support, the central home minister eager to confirm the Congress leaders didn't know a thing about it.........somehow adds up, don't you feel?
So the question becomes whether this was an administrative or legal decision, or a political one? Now from this conjecture, lets view state as an individual commiting murder. Was it an act of defence? That would hold good for Kasab's colleagues killed during 26/11 by the army. It was a war and it claimed its casualties. But Kasab was not threatening the state directly (other than probably financially, with his biriyani bill) when he was hanged. then was it an emotional outburst, a contract killing or a planned murder?
Now, the emotional outburst seems unlikely as there has been no recent developments regarding 26/11. If it was routine, why was it that it bypassed 52 others preceding it, and why the secrecy? Hence the only option left is planned. It was a plan for two and a half years.
Kasab was just another card in the hands of the government waiting to be played at the opportune moment to capture the national emotion. These are hard words, but please don't look for any heroes in this.
Kasab living was a bait in the hands of his motherland government, led by a noose to his grave as a pawn, and Kasab dying has been a convenient move by his enemy nation government for remaining in power. His life has always been up the sleeve of some nation at all times, to be played at the right moment.
I believe that was Kasab's true punishment for being used in his life. To be used in his death.
The hanging was just a detail.
And finally, we come to the most interesting question. The justification of this elation. Well, as I said I too felt the decision was long due and should have been taken earlier, but being elated by it is......................... a bit misplaced, I would say.
First of all, all the revenge stories I see in the media, seem to indicate that all the victims of 26/11 were killed by this 25 year old guy. "The mother stare with disbelief at his innocent face, was this the person who shot down her son?" I mean, hello! there were 9 other guys with AK 47 there. Kasab was just the only one captured. I can still digest the fact that revenge is the purest emotion, but why is that feeling towards this guy only? His cannot be the hand that shot down two people simultaneously in CST terminus as well as the Taj mahal hotel!!!! And if it was another terrorist, he has already been killed!!! If there had to be a feeling of revenge, it makes more sense to be satisfied with that. Kasab getting arrested was only by chance. If that didn't happen, all of them had been killed there itself, would it mean that none of the victims were avenged?
And precisely that was the purpose on the part of the government to build up the ceremony of this hanging. To center the national rage, sense of revenge against the only one left. Savour the blood thirsty anticipation of the nation to see his writhing, moaning body, possibly in front of a firing squad.
Otherwise............this card wouldn't really be the punchline.
Its depressing times. And getting even more so day by day.
The irony is, some years from now, when Hafeez Saeed dies safely, filled with righteousness in his warm bed in Islamabad, the city would probably be on carfew for his funeral, millions would probably come down to the road to pay last tributes and a couple of Pakistani girls would be arrested for mentioning on FB that he was the mastermind behind 26/11.
Kasab deserves to be lie in a nameless grave. He wasn't smart enough to be on the other side of the phone.
I wish he found the peace he was looking for so intently with a gun.
How does that even sound?
Well, first of all, it sounds contradictory. But when I say the city is Mumbai, I guess it would sound more like....suicidal.
Comparing Balasaheb with Ajmal Kasab.........Sitting in India!!!!
I might as well have walked in to the Pentagon and told the president to kiss my ass.
But no matter how diabolical it sounds, obviously its wrong. No one monitored the Shiv Sena leader over a cell phone to butcher and terrorize millions. He was probably at the other end of the phone.
But this blog is really not about that. The three main questions that many (well, still they are a minority) have raised in this is the justification of the elation, the justification of this capital punishment and the justification of capital punishment at all.
I'll take them in the reverse order.
This a very age old question and both sides have a lot of arguments, no doubt.
I can say for myself that I feel there should be the provision of capital punishment in the constitution, though as an extreme measure. More than setting the example, it is required for maintaining a balance. According to the modern concept, the prison is a 'correctional home'. Only when a person is deemed beyond correction, is he/she sentenced for death. If the state does not kill a person and locks him up for his whole life, how does it make a difference? If a prison is to correct a person, what sense does it make if he/she never gets out? Anyway, this logic has a lot of loopholes. This implies the Indian freedom fighters were interpreted as beyond correction by the Queen's government and that further implies that the person in question is killed based on the perception of the crime by the ruling authority.
So, the debate continues.
But one thing that puzzles me about the people who are against the provision of capital punishment itself, is that why are they raising that question now? I mean Kasab was sentenced to death for about two and a half years now........ the question hanging was whether the plea for mercy would be granted or not. But, that nevertheless meant that the provision for capital punishment is still there. Why is the question important at the occurance of a particular execution only? Shouldn't it have been an ongoing question?
Anyway, lets come to the next question. Justification of this particular execution. That's a tricky one. Well, I feel Kasab deserved to be hanged and the only ridiculous thing about the hanging was the time taken for it. It might be that hanging a terrorist involves a lot of diplomatic decision.
But overall, I felt the decision was far too convenient to be the results of a process. Congress in deep soup with allegations of corruption, inflation, FDI and right in the middle of it a Congress president pushing the pedal on a long pending decision which triggers national support, the central home minister eager to confirm the Congress leaders didn't know a thing about it.........somehow adds up, don't you feel?
So the question becomes whether this was an administrative or legal decision, or a political one? Now from this conjecture, lets view state as an individual commiting murder. Was it an act of defence? That would hold good for Kasab's colleagues killed during 26/11 by the army. It was a war and it claimed its casualties. But Kasab was not threatening the state directly (other than probably financially, with his biriyani bill) when he was hanged. then was it an emotional outburst, a contract killing or a planned murder?
Now, the emotional outburst seems unlikely as there has been no recent developments regarding 26/11. If it was routine, why was it that it bypassed 52 others preceding it, and why the secrecy? Hence the only option left is planned. It was a plan for two and a half years.
Kasab was just another card in the hands of the government waiting to be played at the opportune moment to capture the national emotion. These are hard words, but please don't look for any heroes in this.
Kasab living was a bait in the hands of his motherland government, led by a noose to his grave as a pawn, and Kasab dying has been a convenient move by his enemy nation government for remaining in power. His life has always been up the sleeve of some nation at all times, to be played at the right moment.
I believe that was Kasab's true punishment for being used in his life. To be used in his death.
The hanging was just a detail.
And finally, we come to the most interesting question. The justification of this elation. Well, as I said I too felt the decision was long due and should have been taken earlier, but being elated by it is......................... a bit misplaced, I would say.
First of all, all the revenge stories I see in the media, seem to indicate that all the victims of 26/11 were killed by this 25 year old guy. "The mother stare with disbelief at his innocent face, was this the person who shot down her son?" I mean, hello! there were 9 other guys with AK 47 there. Kasab was just the only one captured. I can still digest the fact that revenge is the purest emotion, but why is that feeling towards this guy only? His cannot be the hand that shot down two people simultaneously in CST terminus as well as the Taj mahal hotel!!!! And if it was another terrorist, he has already been killed!!! If there had to be a feeling of revenge, it makes more sense to be satisfied with that. Kasab getting arrested was only by chance. If that didn't happen, all of them had been killed there itself, would it mean that none of the victims were avenged?
And precisely that was the purpose on the part of the government to build up the ceremony of this hanging. To center the national rage, sense of revenge against the only one left. Savour the blood thirsty anticipation of the nation to see his writhing, moaning body, possibly in front of a firing squad.
Otherwise............this card wouldn't really be the punchline.
Its depressing times. And getting even more so day by day.
The irony is, some years from now, when Hafeez Saeed dies safely, filled with righteousness in his warm bed in Islamabad, the city would probably be on carfew for his funeral, millions would probably come down to the road to pay last tributes and a couple of Pakistani girls would be arrested for mentioning on FB that he was the mastermind behind 26/11.
Kasab deserves to be lie in a nameless grave. He wasn't smart enough to be on the other side of the phone.
I wish he found the peace he was looking for so intently with a gun.
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