Kasab denies shooting Karkare, refuses to identify his photo

Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab for the second consecutive day on Monday denied his involvement in the 26/11 terror attacks and refused to identify his clothes, AK-47 rifle and photographs showing him with the weapon.

Mumbai: Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab for the second consecutive day on Monday denied his involvement in the 26/11 terror attacks and refused to identify his clothes, AK-47 rifle and photographs showing him with the weapon.

When Kasab was shown the blood-stained trousers and blue shirt, the gunman admitted that the blood was his own but said the clothes did not belong to him.
"The police had taken my blood sample when I was in their custody... They must have put my blood on these clothes. These clothes are not my size. They are smaller," Kasab said.

When the court showed the gunman a photograph of him holding an AK-47 rifle, Kasab said, "It is not me and in any case the man in the photo is pointing the rifle to the ground and does not seem to be firing at anyone."

The prosecution`s case is that Kasab had fired at a photographer of `Times of India` who had clicked his photograph from the third floor of his office.

Kasab, clad in a white kurta-pyjama, declined having fired at senior police officers Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar outside Cama hospital and constable Tukaram Omble at Girgaum Chowpatty stating that he was not present at these sites.

Asked by the court as to how he is well-aware of these places, Kasab smiled and said, "After the incident on 26/11, Crime Branch officials took me in a car to all the sites."

Asked about CCTV footages of him and his slain partner Abu Ismail outside the `Times Of India` building opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Kasab said, "Woh main nahi tha...Woh Taj wale ladke ka hoga... (That is not me…It must be the boy from Hotel Taj)."

Kasab also denied having sustained any bullet injuries during the 26/11 attack and alleged that he was shot at by the police when he was in their custody from November 25.

"The police gave me local anaesthesia in both my hands and shot me with their pistol. On November 26, at 2315 hours, I was admitted to the Nair hospital," Kasab claimed.

Stating that he had been falsely implicated in the case, Kasab said, "they are police, they need an accused. So they framed me up."

When asked about the encounter at Girgaum Chowpatty and if police had beaten him before arresting, Kasab said, "I was taken gently but was beaten up later in custody."

Kasab refused to identify the AK-47 rifle and smiled and asked, "Where will I get an AK-47 from?...This is the first time I am seeing this rifle."

Earlier, when proceedings began in the court, he told Judge M L Tahaliyani that he was not feeling well, and requested that recording of his statement be adjourned.

But the judge refused to adjourn the matter and told him if he did not want to say anything, he was free to do so.

At the end of proceedings, Kasab exchanged glances at Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and Judge Tahaliyani and smiled.

PTI

Zee News App: Read latest news of India and world, bollywood news, business updates, cricket scores, etc. Download the Zee news app now to keep up with daily breaking news and live news event coverage.