ITBP bills Maharashtra government Rs 10 cr for Kasab's security

The Maharashtra government has received a bill of Rs 10 crore from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police towards reimbursing expenses on guarding 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab, lodged in the Arthur Road jail.

Confirming that the state government did receive the hefty bill from ITBP, Medha Gadgil, principal secretary, home department, said, "We are in the process of writing to them. We will explain that terror attacks are not an issue limited to Maharashtra alone but a national one."

"The attack carried out by Kasab and his associates was not only on Mumbai but on India. It is unfair to ask the state government to bear the burden," said another senior home department official.

The state government received a request for reimbursement of Rs 10.87 crore from R K Bhatia, director-general, ITBP, New Delhi, for expenses incurred between March 28, 2009, and September 30, 2010.

The ITPB was deployed in the jail in the run-up to the 26/11 trial, held in a special sessions court set up in the jail premises. Last year, the home department sought an extension for the ITBP's deployment to guard Kasab, which comprised around 200 commandos, armed with sophisticated weaponry and communication equipment.