The father of the 11-year-old girl disabled by the bullets of Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab is still an angry man.
On the fateful night of November 26, 2008, Natwarlal Rotawan was waiting at the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) with his daughter Devika and son Akash for a train when two terrorists opened fire. Devika was hit by a bullet and lost her right leg.
Natwarlal, who runs a dry fruit shop at Kalbadevi in South Mumbai, says Kasab must be hanged in public. “He has killed innocent people and deserves no mercy. The court must give him the death penalty,” Mr. Rotawan said.
“Kasab ruined my daughter's life. Now who will marry her? Her future is dark,” he said.
Wants to join police
In June last, Devika and Mr. Rotawan identified Kasab in court as one of the two gunmen who had opened fire at her and other passengers at the CST. Though the little girl is in deep pain and is too young to understand terrorism, she wants to eradicate terrorism and will do it by joining the police.
“I don't want other children to face what I had to go through. I do not want people to become a victim of terror. I will join police force and remove terrorism and hatred. I want peace everywhere,” Devika said. “I will soon join an English medium school, study hard so that I can join police force.”
Recalling the attack, she says: “How can I forget that night, when I saw people being killed in front of me. It was scary and horrible to see all that. Whenever I see Kasab on TV, I get very angry.”
“We were waiting for a train to Pune. We heard gunshots and saw two people with guns...firing at people just like in movies. I saw people running helter-skelter. While we were running, I was hit by a bullet and fell to the ground,” she recalls.
Devika, who is forced to rely on crutches, loved to play hide-and-seek and cricket but feels low when she sees other children playing. “When I see others playing, I too want to, but I am unable to.”
