Kasab backtracks after pleading guilty

Mumbai, Aug 7 (ANI): Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman of last year's Mumbai attacks, on Friday (August 07) backtracked in court once again, pleading guilty to all charges an hour earlier.

Kasab, 21, a Pakistani citizen, has been charged with 86 separate offences including murder and waging war against India for his role in the last November assault.

"Today he (Kasab) told the court that he would like to confess the entire guilt, but soon after ...he again changes his stand and says that he won't like to confess the guilt," Ujjwal Nikam, Chief Public Prosecutor told reporters after the hearing in Mumbai.

"Kasab is mentally disturbed for the last few days...he says something one day and different thing another (day)...he is under the impression that as soon as he would plead his guilt the court would pronounce its verdict the following day," said Abbas Kazmi, defence counsel.

Meanwhile, scores of supporters and party workers of India's main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest in front of the Arthur Road jail, where the trail of Kasab has been taken place.

Frenzied protestors symbolically hanged Kasab.

"The workers and supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party have symbolically hanged Kasab and this hanging ceremony has been watched by the entire country...now we will not tolerate the delay and demand that Kasab should be awarded death penalty immediately," said Atul Shah, BJP's deputy leader in Maharashtra Assembly.

Kasab, who had been videotaped carrying an AK-47 assault rifle while carrying out the assault on Mumbai's main train station, was the only one of the 10 gunmen captured alive during the Nov. 26-28 attacks on targets including two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre.

India has charged 38 people including Kasab over the attack, but most of the accused are in Pakistan, the Indian government says. (ANI)