Mumbai: Devika Natwarlal Rotawan, a survivor of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, on Saturday expressed satisfaction over the US Supreme Court's decision, denying the plea of alleged mastermind, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, against his extradition to India.
The Pakistan-origin businessman was convicted for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 164 persons.
Recalling her traumatic experience, Rotawan, who is a prime witness of the 2008 carnage, demanded that Rana should be punished as soon as possible. “Tahawwur Hussain Rana is being brought to India, and I'm very happy about this. Such terrorists should be hanged,” she said.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On the US Supreme Court denying Tahawwur Hussain Rana's petition of writ of certiorari, a victim of the 26/11 attack, Devika Natwarlal Rotawan says " tahawwur hussain rana is being brought to india, i am very happy about this. i want him to be brought to india, so… pic.twitter.com/f9CwnlHfTA
— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2025
To recall, Rotawan and her father were among the witnesses who identified the terrorists in the court. She had seen Ajmal Kasab, one of the attackers during the attack, while his father had seen Kasab and another terrorist, Abu Ismail.
Rotawan's father expressed a similar demand, saying Rana be brought to India and hanged. “Kasab was hanged, but we still didn't get peace because the mastermind is still alive. When the mastermind is hanged, then we will get peace,” he said.
Rana's likely extradition to India is a crucial step in bringing justice to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai attack and their families, and this has been a long-awaited demand. This has been made possible by the US Supreme Court's ruling, albeit it's unclear when exactly this will happen.
On January 7, 2013, a US court convicted Rana and sentenced him to 168 months in prison for his role in supporting terrorist activities. David Headley, who was his co-conspirator, had pleaded guilty and cooperated with the authorities against Rana. With Rana's extradition imminent, the families of the 26/11 victims may finally see some semblance of justice.
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