State should not have shrouded Kasab's hanging in secrecy: IAC

, Nov 21: The execution of

should have been carried out without secrecy as it would have given a strong message to the world and a clear warning to terrorists,

-led IAC said on Thursday and demanded that the death penalty of Afzal Guru be decided swiftly.

In a statement, India Against Corruption (IAC) said it welcomed the news of Kasab's hanging as it will bring relief to the families of the 26/11 victims and hope to the countless who are still awaiting justice.

"The State of India has to be unequivocal in its response to terrorism so that the world gets a clear warning that we will not be trifled with. IAC feels that the State should not have shrouded the hanging in secrecy. A transparent approach would have given a strong message to the world, a clear warning to terrorist groups, and most important, confidence to the citizens that the state is capable of dispensing justice. This much-awaited execution could have been handled such that it would unite Indians in the fight against terrorism. On the contrary, the manner in which it has been handled has given rise to numerable conspiracy theories which could have been avoided," it said.

The statement said one should keep in mind that Kasab was one of the pawns of this dastardly attack on the country's financial capital and the masterminds are still at large. "We commend the execution as it pained every Indian to know that Kasab was alive at the state's expense and that victims and their families were being denied justice...It is critical that the government intensify its efforts to pinpoint and bring to book all those who planned and delivered this dastardly attack on our soil.

"We also demand that cases against all other accused in terrorist acts, like Afzal Guru should be dealt with swiftly," the statement said, adding that IAC strongly condemns terrorism and will always stand for swift action against all those who threaten the sovereignty of the country.

PTI