MUMBAI: Indian police laid charges of murder and “waging war against India” against the man accused of being the lone surviving gunman in the devastating Mumbai attacks that left nearly 200 people dead.
The suspect, Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman — also known as Ajmal Qasab — was the only alleged member of the 10-man hard-line commando-type unit captured alive during the Nov. 26-29 siege.
“We’re very confident of our case. The boys have worked very hard, there’s a lot of evidence,” Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria told reporters.
Charges against Qasab, 21, who was not produced in court for security reasons, included murder, attempted murder and “waging war against India,” said chief public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.
The charges filed against Qasab were also filed against two alleged accomplices, Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, both Indian nationals, who police believe gave logistical support to the attackers. Ansari and Ahmed both appeared in court.
The accused could face the death penalty if convicted.
Maria said investigators had traced the gunmen who carried out the rampage back to Pakistan. “It was a fidayeen (suicide) mission,” he said.
Both Lashkar and Pakistan have denied any involvement in the attacks but Islamabad did admit this month the strikes were partly planned on its soil, and acknowledged Qasab is a Pakistani. Islamabad said it had filed a case against eight people suspected of a role in the attacks, and that six of them were in custody.
The 10 gunmen who staged the attacks were “from Pakistan, training was done in various locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir,” Maria said.
He said the charge sheet also named 35 Pakistanis “and two of them are supposedly army names with designations. Whether they are serving or in the Lashkar hierarchy, it is not known.” He did not say what accusations were made against them on the charge sheet which totalled a massive 11,280 pages.
Nearly 200 people were killed and 308 injured when the 10 gunmen arrived in Mumbai by boat, attacked a string of targets including luxury hotels, a crowded railway station, a cafe and a Jewish center.
“We have been able to establish a Lashkar marine wing took part in this operation,” said Maria.
The prosecutor said authorities hoped “the trial will be completed in three to six months.” No date was set for the start.
“Seeing the magnitude of the case, it needs further investigation. We will file supplementary charges,” Nikam added.
Maria said there were 2,202 witnesses and other evidence including security camera footage of the attack on a railway station, where scores died.
Indian law requires a charge sheet be filed in court against a suspect within 90 days of detention. Media reports said Qasab, arrested on Nov. 28, hails from the poor rural district of Okara in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
With the filing of formal charges, India’s judicial system must grapple with the question of Qasab’s defense following a refusal by lawyers to represent him. India’s constitution provides for the right to legal aid and representation, as well as a “fair, just and equitable procedure” in court for any defendant. But the honorary secretary of the Bombay Bar Association, M.P. Rao, told AFP in December the attacks’ unprecedented nature meant normal rules should not apply and “the basic requirement of giving him a fair trial doesn’t really become justified.”
Meanwhile, the government yesterday defended the fast-track military hardware purchases in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, saying the acquisitions could not be left to normal procedures that would take three to four years to fructify.
“After Mumbai, we have to strengthen the Coast Guard and the navy,” Defense Minister A.K. Antony said during question hour in the Rajya Sabha.
“We have a 7,500 km coastline. The Coast Guard has been given the responsibility of guarding this. They need many items like aircraft and vessels. We are compelled to extend all support. We can’t wait three-four years (by following normal procedures),” the minister said.
Antony’s remarks came a day after a parliamentary panel said lack of coordination between the Indian Navy and Coast Guard had caused the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in which nearly 200 people were killed.
“Events in the recent past have highlighted lack of coordination between (the) navy and Coast Guard resulting in a national catastrophe,” Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defense said in its 36th report tabled Tuesday, without specifically referring to the Mumbai carnage. The committee strongly believes “it is high time that the government reviewed this issue in its entirety and initiated appropriate steps to put in place an effective mechanism for establishing better coordination and jointness between (the) navy and Coast Guard in the paramount interest of national security,” the report said.
Antony also said the fast-track procedure was adopted only in the case of emergencies.
“The last meeting of the DAC (Defense Acquisitions Committee) has cleared some requests. Still, we are examining this to ensure there are no loopholes, no misuse and no manipulation,” the minister pointed out.
“Urgency is necessary but transparency is also essential,” Antony added.
