26/11: Victims' friends and kin feel let down by government
Kalpana lashes out at the government, saying it has become apathetic to all issues of governance from price rise to terror.
By Bella Jaisinghani, TNN | Updated:
In each farewell, they say, one dies a little death. For the families and friends of those who were martyred in the violence of 26/11, the scars are still fresh and the void remains impossible to fill even as life settles into a routine three years later.
Many families will conduct a private service on Saturday even as they await closure. Madhu Kapur, wife of deceased Yes Bank chairman Ashok Kapur, holds an annual bhajan session at home. “Why has Ajmal Kasab appealed in the Supreme Court after having admitted his crime, and why is the state pandering to his needs?” she says. “Three years and Rs 50 crore later, Kasab is the most secure man in India.”
Art gallery owner Kalpana Shah, whose realtor husband Pankaj was killed in the 2008 attacks, will visit the school he set up in Karjat. Kalpana lashes out at the government, saying it has become apathetic to all issues of governance from price rise to terror. “How can we blindly move ahead without sensitivity ?” she says. “Each day we see this drama unfold, this unbridled greed comes before us on the front pages of all newspapers. Our government has failed us on all counts, be it the economy or development or security.”
For several others, the emotional roller coaster that peaked in anger and injustice, then gave way to hope as the special court announced death for Kasab, has hit a low as another round of appeals get underway in the Supreme Court in January.
Ispat director Vinod Garg has lived a third year without his wife Uma. Last year, the articulate gentleman made an impassioned call for justice for the victims of the Parliament attack not just himself. As another year goes by, he simply has nothing to say.
The disillusionment of the corporate world that lost some of its leading lights to the attack is complete . Businessman Dilip De, whose dear friends were killed, says is it extremely upsetting to see the state spend Rs 50 crore on Kasab and provide extreme security to VIPs. “What about the common man who is the shareholder, who pays taxes? Elected representatives should hang their heads in shame,” he says.
“What kind of system do we follow that preserves this terrorist three years after he carried out such a public attack on the nation? Kasab should be hanged at once,” says Ashish Ahuja, managing partner, Wadia Ghandy Associates, the firm that lost one of India’s best solicitors Anand Bhatt.
Ravi Kiran Aggarwal of Orbit Builders had attended Pankaj Shah’s funeral at Banganga crematorium . “It was such a painful experience since several businessmen friends were killed that day. I would like to know how we can expedite Kasab’s execution. I am willing to sign an affidavit demanding quick justice from the administration ,” he says.
Many families will conduct a private service on Saturday even as they await closure. Madhu Kapur, wife of deceased Yes Bank chairman Ashok Kapur, holds an annual bhajan session at home. “Why has Ajmal Kasab appealed in the Supreme Court after having admitted his crime, and why is the state pandering to his needs?” she says. “Three years and Rs 50 crore later, Kasab is the most secure man in India.”
Art gallery owner Kalpana Shah, whose realtor husband Pankaj was killed in the 2008 attacks, will visit the school he set up in Karjat. Kalpana lashes out at the government, saying it has become apathetic to all issues of governance from price rise to terror. “How can we blindly move ahead without sensitivity ?” she says. “Each day we see this drama unfold, this unbridled greed comes before us on the front pages of all newspapers. Our government has failed us on all counts, be it the economy or development or security.”
For several others, the emotional roller coaster that peaked in anger and injustice, then gave way to hope as the special court announced death for Kasab, has hit a low as another round of appeals get underway in the Supreme Court in January.
Ispat director Vinod Garg has lived a third year without his wife Uma. Last year, the articulate gentleman made an impassioned call for justice for the victims of the Parliament attack not just himself. As another year goes by, he simply has nothing to say.
The disillusionment of the corporate world that lost some of its leading lights to the attack is complete . Businessman Dilip De, whose dear friends were killed, says is it extremely upsetting to see the state spend Rs 50 crore on Kasab and provide extreme security to VIPs. “What about the common man who is the shareholder, who pays taxes? Elected representatives should hang their heads in shame,” he says.
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“What kind of system do we follow that preserves this terrorist three years after he carried out such a public attack on the nation? Kasab should be hanged at once,” says Ashish Ahuja, managing partner, Wadia Ghandy Associates, the firm that lost one of India’s best solicitors Anand Bhatt.
Ravi Kiran Aggarwal of Orbit Builders had attended Pankaj Shah’s funeral at Banganga crematorium . “It was such a painful experience since several businessmen friends were killed that day. I would like to know how we can expedite Kasab’s execution. I am willing to sign an affidavit demanding quick justice from the administration ,” he says.
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