Yakub Memon’s Last Wish: A Call To His Daughter

India on Thursday executed convicted bomb plotter Yakub Memon for his role in a series of coordinated attacks that killed hundreds of people in Mumbai in 1993.

Memon had moved the Supreme Court seeking the quashing of the death warrant issued against him by a special TADA Court in Mumbai, claiming that he had not exhausted all his legal remedies when he was awarded the death penalty. Police consider Memon’s brother, “Tiger” Memon, and mafia don Dawood Ibrahim to have been the masterminds behind the attacks. Both have fled the country.

Memon, a chartered accountant, died at 6.35am local time after the Supreme Court rejected his last-ditch request for a two-week postponement of the execution. Following the procedure before death penalty, Yakub was asked about his last wish.

Jail doctors begin post-mortem of Yakub Memon after his body was brought down post hanging. “The death sentence was not given to any religion, but to a person who was trying to execute the conspiracy of Pakistan”, he insisted.

“The plea is dismissed”, said Justice Dipak Misra, heading a three-judge bench, in an order in a court room which was opened for an unprecedented 90-minute hearing that started at 3:20am today and ended a little before dawn. “I only hope that Yakub Memon will have a dignified death”.

“There is no question of victory or elation”. Opposing Memon’s plea, Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi said his fresh petition amounted to “abusing” the system.

At least 5,000 policemen have been deployed near Memon’s Mahim residence and the graveyard where he will be buried. Several people, including Bollywood movie star Sanjay Dutt, have been accused of plotting or helping the conspirators. A total of 100 people have been convicted.

The demolition sparked religious riots in many parts of the country, leaving more than 800 people dead, majority Muslims. It’s expected to make recommendations to the Supreme Court by the end of the year; any changes would eventually have to be approved by Parliament.

Rohatgi said the whole exercise was an attempt to prolong Memon’s stay in jail and get the sentence commuted. His wife and daughter were believed to be at the family home. Police were also stationed at the various places in the city where the bombs had exploded.

Amnesty India described the execution as “cruel and inhuman”.

It was the year 2007 when most death sentences (186) were awarded, followed by 164 in 2005.

For almost a decade, India had an unofficial moratorium on executions. He was convicted for being “the driving spirit” behind the attacks.

The 1993 bombings in Mumbai were reportedly carried out to avenge the destruction months earlier of a 16th century mosque in Ayodhya, northern India by Hindu extremists.