26/11 – not 24/7 anymore
Something which started with reports of gangwar on 26th November 2008 has finally gotten over today. For now.
I remember reaching st. george hospital to see a pile of bodies at about 530 am on November 27th. Next few days are a blur with some sharp memories.
… Dead bodies, relatives of victims trying to get into hospitals, fumes and smoke at the Tajmahal palace hotel, broken glass window at the Oberoi…
… relief and shock on faces of rescued people, funeral of Hemant Karkare, constables crying in his memory, rumours of gunmen roaming in the city,
… fishermen cursing themselves for not stopping these 10 gunmen, bullet marks at Leopold, endless waiting sessions at the crime branch for getting information on Qasab…
… goof ups by politicians – union home minister, chief minister, deputy chief minister, all resigned. Yes!
… peace march with millions of citizens actually stepping out spontaneously and Elections with not so many stepping out that spontaneously.
As usual after any major tragedy, media shifts its attention to investigation. All of a sudden it was about sim cards, jackets, boats, GPS, AK-47, grenades, CCTV footage this conspiracy and that mastermind.
There were questions about his nationality, Pakistan not owning him, and so on. A news report came from his native village in Faridkot in Pakistan. “We told you so” was what all of us felt in India.
Then came Qasab’s confession, and the video recording of it. Everyone got to know the “real story” – of Pakistan training, sea travel, college ids, guns, grenades, bombs etc.
Next was media’s first brush with Qasab during his custody extension on video conferencing. Then came lawyers, violent protests, statements, protests, starting of the trial?
We made our prized possessions – security id cards with tons of police verification et al, so that we could enter the high security court on Arthur road jail premises. There were stories about how it is bullet proof, special tunnel that connects court and Qasab’s solitary confinement barrack, special ITBP force was protecting it round the clock.
Finally it started exactly a year ago, with Qasab pleading not guilty. He had retracted his confession already.
All of us had covered 1993 serial blasts trial in the same court. Memories of the trial that went on for fourteen years came to rattle us for a while, for a short while.
Soon we got engrossed with riveting and evocative eye witness accounts, soon we got used to people pointing out to Qasab as “butka” and his accomplice’s photo as “lambu.” Qasab too seemed to enjoy it at best, and not mind it at worst.
In July came his confession – again. He asked the judge to hang him. He narrated the same sequence of events – all the way from him leaving his house till he was caught.
I could never decide whether this 21-year-old catch we had, was mischievous, misguided, military-trained, mad, naïve, innocent, repentant, cruel, anti-India, poverty-stricken, and on a road of no return. Or just a pawn in a much larger scheme of things of international politics, violence of several decades and a sticky Kashmir problem that is far from a solution.
Some of this or all of it? And some more?
Wherever I went people asked me two questions, “Did you actually see Qasab?” and “why has he not been hanged yet?”
When I used to say he is as short as I was (which is very short) and looked like just another boy, we all agreed to be astonished about his capacity to kill people the way he did. “How could he? See what he did and how? These people I tell you, they deserve no mercy!” Fair trial, anyone?
Some 296 witnesses were examined in record time, everyone worked to their optimum. Any resistance to speedy process was taken as “non-cooperation” – Qasab’s lawyer was removed.
In the meanwhile, two Indians were arrested and faced the same trial, and have been acquitted. One of the lawyers, Shahid Azmi, was shot dead two months back. He was known to be really spunky and brave. We probably should have probed his death beyond police versions but we were busy tracking Qasab and everything about him. Everything about these two remained in the “in-the-meanwhile” compartment –just like now.
We saw the CCTV footage of hotels, CST station, pictures taken by photographers, heard the phone conversations between gunmen from different attacks sites to their handlers in Pakistan.
All of this was new, the kind of evidence, the speed, Qasab’s reactions ranging from funny, silly, annoying to solemn, quiet, bored, sleepy.
We also “celebrated” 26/11 anniversary. We went to meet victims, fishermen, hotel management, police officers, everyone. New memorials were installed, new police force was created, new marine security, new this new that. Media went beserk – to say the least.
I am not sure if victims feel good about this – yes they get a chance to express their grievances but don’t we do more than just that? Like why should some 8-year-old kid know and say that she wants Qasab to die? What are we even getting at?
Back to Arthur road jail court again. For me it was only - Every now and then. Soon it was time for final arguments, Nikam’s “fervent and humble” submissions.
Qasab’s somersault again. He claimed he was arrested 20 days before the attacks on Juhu chowpatty. We said he was back again with his “antics.” Then he grew quieter and quieter. Was he bored, tired, ill, fed up?
Should we care? Isn’t that what happens to millions of murderers who are caught anyway? Isn’t he only paying the price for his actions?
As the trial drew to a close, media’s voice got louder and stronger. Qasab’s trial is still much better than what we have covered before, simply because it ended before we gave up.
May be that’s why all this enthusiasm for death penalty. Everyone wanted death penalty for Qasab.
Among us we rarely debate about whether death penalty should exist. There is a general consensus that it should. I don’t believe in it but there is time and place for arguments and opinions – this trial is neither that place nor that time.
Some reporters were glad that the Indians were acquitted – more because it showed glaring flaws in careless police investigations. However, I also heard a reporter on radio saying “she” was personally disappointed because Faheem and Saba were acquitted. May be they were really innocent? But that’s still in-the-meanwhile.
One journalist felt sentencing him to life imprisonment is a worse punishment. So he should be given that. Some said we have spent enough money on his upkeep. So he should be hanged asap. All these thoughts are exchanged on the road outside court where we hang around endlessly/aimlessly before and during lunch breaks.
However, just after the conviction or sentencing was announced – when nearly 50 journalists ran, raced against each other and time – stumbling, tumbling over each other, shouting out guilty guilty guilty and making noose gesture before they could break the news to millions of viewers who were watching (I hope so) – there was no space for any conflicting complex thoughts. It was time for celebration.
Everyone was happy, even the ones who lost their loved ones are happy that Qasab is going to die. Or are they?
I know it is a good thing that the trial is over, conviction and sentence handed over to the culprit. I hope all trials are conducted this efficiently, this soon - whether it is acquittal or conviction.
Will it help us improving our relations with Pakistan, US, will it make India safer - I sincerely hope so.
As for Qasab – I am not sure what’s a worse punishment…For the life that he has had – as a poor confused child, misguided adolescent, aggressive indoctrinated militant, trained fidayeen, naively devout, arrested and kept in solitary confinement since his arrest, been called a dog, horse, wolf, snake, demon, devil’s agent, a killing machine. What’s worse - Continuing this kind of life or the end of it?
kaun kahataa hai ke maut aa_ii to mar jaa_uu.Ngaa
kaun kahataa hai ke maut aa_ii to mar jaa_uu.Ngaa
mai.n to dariyaa huu.N samandar me.n utar jaa_uu.Ngaa
teraa dar chho.D ke mai.n aur kidhar jaa_uu.Ngaa
ghar me.n ghir jaa_uu.Ngaa saharaa me.n bikhar jaa_uu.Ngaa
tere pahaluu se jo uThuu.Ngaa to mushkil ye hai
sirf ik shaKhs ko paa_uu.Ngaa jidhar jaa_uu.Ngaa
ab tere shahar me.n aa_uu.Ngaa musaafir kii tarah
saayaa-e-abr kii maanind guzar jaa_uu.Ngaa
teraa paimaan-e-vafaa raah kii diivaar banaa
varnaa sochaa thaa ke jab chaahuu.Ngaa mar jaa_uu.N gaa
chaaraasaazo.n se alag hai meraa mayaar ke mai.n
zaKhm khaa_uu.Ngaa to kuchh aur sa.Nvar jaa_uu.N gaa
ab to Khurshiid ko Duube hue sadiyaa.N guzarii.n
ab use Dhuu.NDhane mai.n taa-ba-sahar jaa_uu.Ngaa
zindagii shammaa kii maanind jalaataa huu.N 'Nadeem'
bujh to jaa_uu.Ngaa magar subah to kar jaa_uu.Ngaa
