Why should I rejoice Kasab hanging, asks kin of victims

Mumbai: His sister and brother-in-law were killed in the Mumbai terror attack but actor Aashish Chowdhry is not rejoicing over hanging of Pakistani Ajmal Amir Kasab who he says was "brainwashed" and "driven to kill in the name of god".

Kasab, the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 attack, was hanged in Pune Wednesday, after his mercy plea was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee earlier this month. "Why should I rejoice Kasab`s death? I will rejoice when little innocent children will stop being taught to kill in the name of god and religion," Aashish tweeted. "Ignorance gave different faces to god, who in my view is one. Hence, religion too is one and that religion is humanity. Kasab was not taught that. "I sympathise with Kasab. He also was once a small innocent baby, like my son. But unfortunately born around wrong people and wrong teachings. "I`m sure as a little baby, Kasab didn`t plan his outcome. He was brainwashed, driven to kill in the name of god. He didn`t know he was wrong," he added. Kasab was hanged five days before the fourth anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack that claimed 166 lives. Nine of his associates, who were killed, had been secretly buried in the city in January 2010. Aashish`s sister and brother-in-law were held hostage and killed while having dinner at the Oberoi hotel, one of the targets of the terrorists. "I will not teach my children to rejoice anyone`s death - be it Kasab. They will learn to be non-vindictive, non-fanatical and will love all. I`m not saying that I defend the consequence he faced. "I just feel that rejoicing, or feeling completion doesn`t make sense. There`s more to it," said Aashish. "In these four years of awaiting and looking upon Kasab`s sentence, I can bet lakhs of new Kasab`s were born. Problem lies there. Rejoice when that stops," he added. IANS