Why complete secrecy was maintained before hanging Kasab?

, Nov 21: The swiftness and secrecy in which the execution of Pakistani

took place have come as a surprise to many. People are wondering why so much secrecy was maintained before hanging Kasab? Kasab was hanged till death at Yerwada jail in Pune around 7.30 am on Wednesday, Nov 21.

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil confirmed the news on Wednesday morning.

"This is a tribute to all innocent people and police officers who lost their lives in this heinous attack on our nation," Patil told reporters in Mumbai.

In Delhi, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said he had signed Kasab's execution order on Nov 7, two days after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his clemency petition.

Kasab, who was held in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail, was then moved to Pune's Yerwada prison."We kept secrecy. It was important to maintain secrecy in this matter," Shinde said, adding that Pakistan had been informed of the execution.

The Indian government was under pressure to act against a man who carried out one of the deadliest attacks in the country. Kasab was the only surviving terrorist of the 26/11 attacks, who was arrested by police.

On May 6, 2010, the Mumbai trial court had given the death sentence to Kasab, which was later upheld by the Bombay High Court on Feb 12 last year. The apex court had rejected his appeal on Aug 29. The BJP had sought that the apex court's decision awarding the death sentence to Kasab should be carried out at the earliest.

In the 26/11 attacks, 166 people were killed, when 10 men from Pakistan sailed into Mumbai. They had spent 72 hours targeting the city's landmarks on the fateful day.

OneIndia News