Maha braces for Yakub Memon''s execution

Mumbai/Nagpur, July 29

Maharashtra remains on high alert as state government gears up to execute death row convict Yakub Memon after the Supreme Court and the Maharashtra governor rejected his plea against his death warrant pleas on Wednesday. Memon will be executed at 7 am on Thursday, his 54th birthday at the Nagpur Central Jail (NCJ).

The state government beefed up security around the NCJ premises, outside Memon's residence in Mahim and other sensitive spots across the state to prevent fallout of the execution.

Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal and Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shortly on Wednesday, after the Supreme Court verdict and the governor's rejection of his mercy plea.

According to police sources, senior police officials here have requested the Muslim religious and community leaders not to make any public statement or speech about Memon after he is hanged.

“If an inflammatory speech or a remark is made, the police would take prompt action,” sources said.

All Deputy Commissioners, Additional Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners of Police in the Mumbai police force have been deployed to man sensitive areas in the city.

Quick Response Teams of the police, formed after the 26/11 terrorist attacks, have also been deployed at a few places, including the Al Hussaini building in Mahim area where the Memon family lives.

Police will also detain those with criminal records as a preventive measure, sources said.

Commenting on the latest developments, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said there was nothing more to stop his execution.

A police constable, who also doubles as a professional hangman, arrived in Nagpur earlier this week to finalise the preparations for the high-profile hanging.

Memon's family members, including his wife and daughter, two brothers and other relatives, are in Nagpur for a final meeting with him.

Memon will be permitted a bathe, wear fresh clothes and offer prayers, offered breakfast of his choice, undergo a final medical examination, and given full information on why he is being hanged, before he is taken to the gallows.

In April this year, a TADA court had scheduled his hanging for July 30 at the Nagpur Central Prison, where he is currently lodged.

Yakub was convicted on July 27, 2007, for his involvement in 12 coordinated blasts on March 12, 1993, that left 257 dead and more than 700 injured.

Dreaded gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his associate, Yakub’s brother Tiger Memon, are the key suspects in the case. Both are currently absconding.

Yakub was arrested in 1994 and has been in jail since. — Agencies