Mumbai, Sep 16: A Mumbai police constable has written to the Maharashtra Home Minister R.R.Patil seeking his permission to hang Ajmal Kasab to death who has been convicted by Supreme Court for his cowardly act of 26/11.
Shaikh Anwar Shaik Amir, 44, is a head constable attached to Bharatiyanagar police station in Nanded district of Maharashtra and has offered his services as hangman. His offer comes in the wake of news reports saying Maharashtra's home department does not have a hangman.
"I came across the news item in a newspaper on 30 August, quoting Home Minister Patil. All the hangmen have retired and the department has not recruited anyone for a long time. Patil said that his department was interested in appointing a police constable as a hangman. The report also mentioned that anyone interested in applying for a hangman's post should do so. So I immediately sent a letter to the Maharashtra Superintendent of Police as well as to the Director General asking them to appoint me as a hangman," said Amir.
Shaikh has also written to the Home Minister R.R. Patil. The letter written in Marathi says that Kasab has killed over 166 people including officers such as Hemant Karkare and Vijay Salaskar, who were role models for policemen like him.
"I would like to be given this opportunity to avenge their deaths by hanging Ajmal Kasab. Kindly consider my request on an urgent basis," it adds.
"I have seen many deaths during my early days with the Government Railway Police and during my stints in other police departments when I used to travel to places such as Punjab and Darjeeling. I have witnessed the 26/11 massacre unleashed by Kasab and his gang at the CST station where I was on duty," Amir recalls.
"It was awful seeing so many innocent people die. Kasab is a terrorist who did not think twice before killing them in cold blood. He does not deserve any mercy," he adds.
Shiakh further says, "I am not bothered by those who believe that I am betraying my community and religion because of this decision. A terrorist does not belong to any caste or any religion. Those who believe that Kasab shouldn't be killed because he's a Muslim are unpatriotic to the core. They should be asked to leave the country," he asserts.
"I am confident that I will be appointed as a hangman and I am eagerly looking forward to it," he says.
By sheer coincidence, the number plate of his new bike, which he bought after getting a loan from the police department, bears the numbers 2611.
"It's my duty to hang Kasab," he says.
"In case I am appointed a hangman, I shall consider it my naseeb, an act of Allah," concludes Shaikh.
