{"id":182528,"date":"2024-11-26T04:40:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T04:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/26\/how-a-nine-year-old-26-11-mumbai-terror-attack-survivor-helped-the-justice-system-hang-ajmal-kasab\/"},"modified":"2024-11-26T04:40:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T04:40:07","slug":"how-a-nine-year-old-26-11-mumbai-terror-attack-survivor-helped-the-justice-system-hang-ajmal-kasab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/26\/how-a-nine-year-old-26-11-mumbai-terror-attack-survivor-helped-the-justice-system-hang-ajmal-kasab\/","title":{"rendered":"How a nine-year-old 26\/11 Mumbai terror attack survivor helped the justice system hang Ajmal Kasab"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How<\/div>\n
On November 26, 2008, ten heavily armed militants from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba<\/a> (LeT) unleashed one of the deadliest terror attacks in Indian history. Over the course of nearly four days, the attackers targeted prominent locations in South Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), and Nariman House. The carnage left 166 people dead, including 18 security personnel, and over 300 injured. Among the survivors was Devika Rotawan<\/a>, then a nine-year-old girl, who continues to carry the scars of that traumatic night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI Can Never Forget That Night\u201d<\/h2>\n

Speaking on the eve of the 16th anniversary of the attacks, Devika, now 25, vividly recounted the events at CSMT, where she was caught in the crossfire. \u201cIt\u2019s been 16 years, but I can still remember what I was doing, where I was going, and how the attack happened,\u201d Devika told PTI.<\/p>\n

Devika was at CSMT with her father and brother, en route to Pune, when the first explosions and gunfire erupted. “We had just arrived at CSMT from Bandra when a bomb blast occurred, followed by a barrage of gunfire. People of all ages were badly injured,” she recalled.<\/p>\n

She was struck by a bullet in her leg and rushed to St. George\u2019s Hospital before being transferred to JJ Hospital for surgery. The recovery process took over a month, but the emotional scars remain.<\/p>\n

Testifying Against Ajmal Kasab<\/h2>\n

Devika\u2019s ordeal did not end with her recovery. When the Mumbai Crime Branch contacted her family, she agreed to testify in court against Ajmal Kasab<\/a>, the lone surviving terrorist. \u201cWe agreed because both my father and I had seen the terrorists, and I could identify Ajmal Kasab, the man who caused so much pain,\u201d she said.

Her testimony was critical in the trial that led to Kasab\u2019s conviction. \u201cI wanted to kill him, but I was just nine. I could do nothing but identify him in court,\u201d she added. Kasab was executed in 2012.<\/p>\n

A Fight Against Terrorism<\/h2>\n

Devika, who lost her mother two years before the attack, expressed a strong desire to combat terrorism. “Terrorism should be eradicated. People must speak out against the wrongdoings in our society. It all starts from Pakistan, and that must be stopped,” she said, emphasizing the need for collective action.Although her family received support from some quarters, they faced social ostracism from relatives. \u201cWe weren\u2019t invited to any functions, but now, we are getting invitations again,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

Lingering Challenges<\/h2>\n

Devika, who still experiences pain and swelling in her leg, currently resides in Bandra East on rent. The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to expedite her request for a house under an Economically Weaker Section scheme.<\/p>\n

She had initially received Rs 3.26 lakh in compensation and later secured \u20b910 lakh for medical treatment, facilitated by former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, the wait for permanent housing continues.<\/p>\n

Remembering the 26\/11 Attacks<\/h2>\n

The coordinated attacks of November 26, 2008, not only targeted civilians but also challenged India\u2019s security forces. Over 60 hours, the militants engaged in intense shootouts and took hostages, leaving a trail of destruction at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel, and Nariman House, among other locations.<\/p>\n

Nine attackers were killed by security forces, while Ajmal Kasab was captured alive. His subsequent trial and execution became a turning point in India\u2019s counter-terrorism narrative.<\/p>\n

Devika urges the nation to remember the victims and stand united against terrorism. \u201cTerrorism must end, and people must remember what happened on that night. We need to stand with the victims,\u201d she said.

(Inputs from PTI)<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On November 26, 2008, ten heavily armed militants from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) unleashed one of the deadliest terror attacks in Indian history. Over the course of nearly four days, the attackers targeted prominent locations in South Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), and Nariman House. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":182529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.etimg.com\/photo\/msid-115679907,imgsize-52074.cms","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[602],"tags":[37245,142856,142852,142853,40982,140437,2601,142855,42904,3227,9589,140441,6338,352,704,5403,1731,142854,11924],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182528"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182528"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":182530,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182528\/revisions\/182530"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}