Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the terror attack on Mumbai in November last year, admitted that he was guilty during the ongoing trial at a special court in Mumbai on Monday.
Kasab, who had retracted his earlier confession, on Monday pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He also narrated the entire sequence of events that took place during the terror siege, which cliimed 183 lives.
For the first time in his confession, Kasab said, "Mujhe mera gunha kabool hai (I plead guilty to my crime)." In a dramatic turn of events in the 26/11 trial, lone surviving Pakistani terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Kasab today pleaded guilty in court to carrying out attacks along with his accomplices that left over 180 people dead and 100 others injured.
Kasab, 22, confessed before the special court in Arthur Road Jail and narrated his journey from Karachi in Pakistan to Mumbai, along with nine other terrorists, in a boat. He also gave details of the attacks at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama Hospital. His sudden confession came on the 65th day of the trial, that began after a 11,000-page chargesheet was filed in the case in February this year.
When a prosecution witness Constable Arun Jadhav, who was in the vehicle in which three top police officials Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar, were killed near the Cama Hospital, stepped into the box today, Kasab sought permission to speak to the lawyer Abbas Kazmi. He spoke to his lawyer for 30 seconds and the lawyer informed the court that Kasab wanted to confess.
Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam objected, saying at this stage of the trial, the accused could not confess before the court. The judge overruled his objection and allowed Kasab to proceed with his confession.
After walking into the witness box, Kasab described how he and terrorist Abu Ismail opened fire at the CST station. "Main firing kar raha tha aur Abu hand grenade phek raha tha... Main Abu ke aage tha... Abu ne aisi position li thi ki usse koi dekh nahi sakta... I fired at a policeman... Uske baad police ke side se firing bandh hogayi...(I was firing and Abu was hurling hand grenades. I was in front of Abu, who had taken such a position that no one could see him. I fired at a policemen, after which there was no firing from the police side)," Kasab told the court.
He added, "I have confessed. Now the trial should come to an end".
Prosecutor Nikam described Kasab's confession as a 'big victory' for the prosecution.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said, "The trial should be completed quickly and the accused should be hanged so that the victims get justice."
Kasab also told the court how he and Abu Ismail had exited from CST through a over-bridge and then proceeded towards the Cama Hospital. Kasab was arrested on the night of November 26 at Girgaum Chowpatty in south Mumbai after a police encounter while his partner Abu was killed.
The Mumbai Crime Branch, in its chargesheet, named 35 Pakistan nationals and operatives of Lashkar-e-Tayiba as those wanted for the terror siege of the western metropolis that had left the country on tenterhooks for three days. Among them were Zaki-ur-Rehman Laqvi, Yousif Muzammil, Abu Kahfa, Abu Ramza and Zarar Shah. The list also includes the names of two suspected Pakistani armymen -- 'Major General Saab' and Colonel R Saadat Ullah.
