'The fastest hanging in the history of terror acts'

Ujjwal Nikam, the special prosecutor in the 26/11 terror attacks case, speaks exclusively to Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa and Prasanna D Zore about the Kasab execution.

Ajmal Kasab's hanging is a victory for the entire nation and a homage for all those who lost their lives in the 26/11 attacks, Ujjwal Nikam, the special prosecutor in the 26/11 terror attacks case, told Rediff.com

"It was a hard trial and we wanted to ensure that no stone was left unturned," Nikam said. "It took a lot of effort and we wanted to ensure that the ends of justice were met. We have today set an example that India will not tolerate attacks on our soil."

"During the course of the trial, we also proved to the entire world the hand of Pakistan in these attacks," he added.

"It will send a very strong message to the Pakistani masterminds who perpetrated the terrorist acts on Mumbai and killed 166 innocent people," Nikam said.

Asked if Kasab's execution came too late, given the gravity of his terrorism, Nikam felt, "It did not take much time. In my reckoning, this is the fastest hanging in the history of terrorist acts."

After the trial court declared Kasab's case fell under the bracket of the rarest of rare cases, the Bombay high court upheld that view.

Supreme Court Justices Aftab Alam and C K Prasad held that Kasab, the only terrorist who survived the three-day carnage in November 2008, had shown no remorse after his arrest, and considered himself a 'hero and a patriotic Pakistani at war.'