By IANS,
Panaji : Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested in the Nov 26 Mumbai terror attacks, will be charged early next week, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said here Saturday evening.
Speaking as the chief guest at a function organised by a charitable institution in the city, the high profile prosecution lawyer said the state had gathered enough evidence to show that Kasab, the only surviving terror suspect, had been a part of the criminal conspiracy hatched in Pakistan to orchestrate the terror strikes at pre-decided sites in Mumbai.
“We have all the evidence required. The charge sheet will be filed within a couple of days,” Nikam said.
Nikam, who was also appointed as a government counsel in the 1992 Mumbai blasts case, described Kasab as a victim of poverty and ignorance, which made him a prime candidate for indoctrination by the terrorists.
“He is not educated and (is) poor and the concept of religion was wrongly projected to him,” he said.
Nikam said while victims of such systematic brainwashing by extremist forces needed proper handling, there was a need to distinguish between a freedom fighter and a terrorist.
“A terrorist cannot be a freedom fighter, because the latter will never hold people hostage,” he said, referring to the large number of hostages which the terrorists used for strategic cover in the 60-hour mayhem in Mumbai.
Over 170 people were killed during the carnage, which India says was planned and executed by terrorists who sailed to India from Karachi.
Nikam also batted for a media law which could control audio visual content in times of crisis, such as the Mumbai tragedy.