Slain gunmen buried near Taloja jail?

9 Terrorists Cremated After Muslim Bodies Said No

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab’s associates were buried near the high-security Taloja prison, wellplaced sources said on Thursday, the eve of the 26/11 attacks’ second anniversary. Officials were, however, tightlipped on the details of the quiet burial of the nine terrorists’ bodies.
According to the sources, the bodies, which even Pakistan did not want, were disposed of near the newly constructed prison in January. Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil had on April 6 said that the bodies of the terrorists, killed by special forces during a three-day siege of the city in November 2008, were buried and adequate care was taken to ensure that the matter stayed a secret. Mumbai police commissioner Sanjeev Dayal and senior investigators were unwilling to comment on the issue.
The sources said, “The bodies were brought in police vans near the jail. An excavator, operated by two persons, had dug up the soil. The bodies, one by one, were dumped there. The excavator’s operators then filled up the spot with soil.”
They added that a man offered prayers before the van left. Two constables from the jail were told to keep an eye on the spot so that dogs don’t dig it up, the sources said.
The state government had been waiting for Pakistan to claim the bodies, which were finally buried after 14 months. Many Muslim organizations in Mumbai had objected to their burial in their cemetery, as they were “killers”. The state then decided to bury them quietly. Early last year, the Muslim Council had refused to allow the burial in the Marine Lines Bada Qabrastan. The council had sent a message to cemeteries across the nation that none of the terrorists should be buried on Indian soil. The influential Muslim Jama Masjid Trust, which runs the 7.5-acre Qabrastan in south Mumbai, had said it would not permit the burial as the gunmen were not true followers of Islam.
The crime branch, the prime agency probing the 26/ 11 terror attacks, had claimed that the bodies were given holy ablution before burial.
The decision for the burial was prompted by the huge expense incurred on preserving the bodies in an air-conditioned room of the J J Hospital morgue, round-the-clock security at the site, and other related factors.
Keeping the bodies for so long was considered unprecedented in the world.
US solidarity
UState nited States Hillary Secretary Clinton said of in Washington on Thursday that the Americans stand in solidarity with India in mourning victims of the 2008 carnage. On the eve of the second anniversary of the attacks carried out by 10 terrorists, Clinton said, “The resolve and resilience of the people was more powerful than terrorist guns and bombs.”
She said, “Now, as then, the American people stand in solidarity with the people of India and honour those who lost their lives. As the people of the US gather with family to celebrate Thanksgiving, we pause to remember the horrific attack on innocent men, women and children in Mumbai two years ago.”
President Barack Obama had stayed at the Taj, a target of the attacks, during his visit earlier this month “to send a strong message” to terrorists. FACES OF TERROR The nine Pakistanis who terrorized Mumbai for three days
Shoaib aka Abu Shoheb | Attacked Leopold Cafe, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower. Killed at The Taj

Ismail Khan aka Abu Ismail | Attacked CST, Cama Hospital and other places. At Chowpatty, police killed him when he fired at them

Hafiz Arshad aka Abdul Rehman |
Attacked the Taj. Took a taxi to the Taj and planted a bomb outside, but it was defused. Killed at The Taj

Javed aka Abu Ali | Attacked The Taj, after entering from the front gate. Killed at The Taj

Nazir Ahmad aka Abu Umer | Attacked Leopold Cafe and The Taj . Killed at The Taj

'Chhota' Abdul Rehman aka Sakib |
Attacked the Oberoi & Trident. He and his accomplice set a bomb outside Oberoi, but its effect was minimised with a bomb blanket. Killed at The Trident

Nasir aka Abu Umar | Attacked Nariman House. Nasir and his accomplice exploded two bombs outside Nariman House and forced the Jewish hostages to speak to their embassy. Killed at Nariman House

Fahad Ullah| Attacked Oberoi & Trident. Fahad and Abdul set off a bomb at Tiffin restaurant. Contacted a TV channel. Used mobiles of a survivor and of a deceased. Killed at The Trident

Imran Babar aka Abu Aakasha | Attacked Nariman House along with Nasir. Killed at Nariman House

The Times of India, November 26, 2010