10-04-2006, 08:40 PM
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<b>Send a strong message -- Vivek Gumaste</b>
The clamour for clemency for Mohammed Afzal Guru, the terrorist convicted for masterminding the December 2001 attack on Parliament, brings to the fore a vital issue: Respect for the law of the land. Laws are meant to uphold the basic rights of upright citizens, protect the integrity of the nation and ensure a sense of order. Disregard for laws and clemency for law-breakers will result in anarchy and the nation's sovereignty will be difficult to sustain.
Mohammed Afzal was not a bystander and did not evoke the benefit of the doubt like his co-accused. He is a committed member of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit, and the mastermind of a crime against India. He acted at the behest of those who orchestrated the Kandahar hijacking during the BJP-led NDA regime, callously murdering a newly wed man and holding women and children hostage to secure the release of criminals. How on earth can such a person be deemed worthy of pardon?
The attempt to interject a religious element - the execution date coincides with the last Friday of Ramzan - is a dangerous ploy that can blunt the power of the judiciary with disastrous results and must not be entertained. Judgements and executions are not decreed bearing in mind the religion of the criminal.
Penalties are awarded commensurate with the degree of the crime. Dhananjay Chatterjee - convicted of raping and murdering a teenage girl in Kolkata - was sent to the gallows not because he was a Hindu. Indira Gandhi's assassins were hanged from the gallows not because they were Sikhs. Similarly, Mohammed Afzal faces capital punishment not because he is Muslim. Like the others, he is guilty of committing a capital offence.
The argument that this judgement will lead to alienation of Kashmiris is erroneous. In fact, it is a clever move by separatists. If the Government takes a firm stand, it will send out a strong message that terrorism shall not go unpunished.
The verdict against Mohammed Afzal Guru must stand as a mark of respect to the memory of security personnel who sacrificed their lives to protect the symbol of our democracy. The judgement must stand as a warning that the nation will not brook any attempt to destabilise its polity. There can be no two ways about this.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Send a strong message -- Vivek Gumaste</b>
The clamour for clemency for Mohammed Afzal Guru, the terrorist convicted for masterminding the December 2001 attack on Parliament, brings to the fore a vital issue: Respect for the law of the land. Laws are meant to uphold the basic rights of upright citizens, protect the integrity of the nation and ensure a sense of order. Disregard for laws and clemency for law-breakers will result in anarchy and the nation's sovereignty will be difficult to sustain.
Mohammed Afzal was not a bystander and did not evoke the benefit of the doubt like his co-accused. He is a committed member of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit, and the mastermind of a crime against India. He acted at the behest of those who orchestrated the Kandahar hijacking during the BJP-led NDA regime, callously murdering a newly wed man and holding women and children hostage to secure the release of criminals. How on earth can such a person be deemed worthy of pardon?
The attempt to interject a religious element - the execution date coincides with the last Friday of Ramzan - is a dangerous ploy that can blunt the power of the judiciary with disastrous results and must not be entertained. Judgements and executions are not decreed bearing in mind the religion of the criminal.
Penalties are awarded commensurate with the degree of the crime. Dhananjay Chatterjee - convicted of raping and murdering a teenage girl in Kolkata - was sent to the gallows not because he was a Hindu. Indira Gandhi's assassins were hanged from the gallows not because they were Sikhs. Similarly, Mohammed Afzal faces capital punishment not because he is Muslim. Like the others, he is guilty of committing a capital offence.
The argument that this judgement will lead to alienation of Kashmiris is erroneous. In fact, it is a clever move by separatists. If the Government takes a firm stand, it will send out a strong message that terrorism shall not go unpunished.
The verdict against Mohammed Afzal Guru must stand as a mark of respect to the memory of security personnel who sacrificed their lives to protect the symbol of our democracy. The judgement must stand as a warning that the nation will not brook any attempt to destabilise its polity. There can be no two ways about this.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->