By Quaid Najmi Mumbai September 8, : Seven years on from the day terrorist Yakub Abdul Razzak Memon’s hanging to death in 2015, a significant political debate has erupted over the alleged’makeover’ of his grave at the Bada Qabrastan in south Mumbai on Thursday.
After a ruckus and a political scuffle among Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party the Vice Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a probe into the issue.
Memon 53, an CA was found guilty and found guilty for his involvement in the 12 March 1993 Mumbai blasts.He was executed in Nagpur Central Jail on July 30 (2015) -his birth date – after all his requests for pardon/clemency all the way to President denied.
The grave that Memon was buried in which is in which Memon was buried, has recently was given a makeover with an enthralling marble grave being constructed and surrounded by floodlights and fears — that the final resting place could soon be transformed into a “mazar” (mausoluem).
Quickly acting swiftly, acting swiftly, Mumbai Police on Thursday yanked off the lighting arrangement in Bada Qabrastan this morning and a political scuffle broke out between all the major parties over the alleged decision to allow the renovation there.
The NCP’s leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar has said that there should not be any the glorification of any terrorist and that the beautiful re-interpretation of Memon’s burial place should not be allowed.
In blaming its bete-noire as well as its ex-all Shiv Sena for the BJP’s plight, BJP Spokesperson Ram Kadam asked why the former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray remained silence when Memon’s grave was transformed into an altar.
“Thackeray was” the (then) Chief Minister and during his time the grave was transformed into an altar.This is their patriotism and their love for Mumbai? Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Rahul Gandhi ought to apologize to Mumbai’s residents,” Kadam said.of Mumbai,” Kadam demanded.
Reacting to the allegations, Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande denied the BJP’s claims and stated that when Memon was executed the BJP government was in the powerhouse in both in the Centre and in the state -and here Devendra Fadnavis was the CM and also the home minister.
“Why did he allowed Memon’s body be transferred to his family? What stopped the BJP government in the Centre and state from formulating the policy to deal with the remains of the dead of terror convicts and other criminals who are feared,” Dr.Kayande asked.
Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said that during the UPA time, two of the most feared terrorists were hanged , but their bodies were secretly taken off to keep their tombs from turning into an important rallying point in the future.
When Afzal Guru was executed in February 2013 in the Tihar Jail of Delhi, Pakistani extremist Ajmal Kasab was executed in Yerawada Central Jail in Pune.
“The BJP — which was in the powerhouse at the time deliberately donated Memon’s body to the family for funerals that were lavish.The intention was to create a an ethnic division.
Even when terrorist Al-Qaeda Osama Bin Laden was killed by US forces the body of his victim was put in the ocean,” Londhe pointed out.
A few other BJP leaders such as Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Ashish Shelar and Kirit Somaiya, as well as Sena leaders such as Aditya Thackeray Ambadas Danve, Arvind Sawant and Kishori Pednekar took part in the political battle over the grave overhaul.
Thackeray and Pednekar have slammed the BJP accusations, saying they were’mischievous’ meant to smear Uddhav Thackeray’s image ahead of the forthcoming civic elections.
“The BMC has never given permission.
Its role has ended after the land is allotted.The Bada Qabrastan belongs to a trust.
What do you think the Sena or Thackeray connected with all this?” an angry Pednekar demanded.
In order to push to push the Sena further, Shelar sarcastically said the “Penguin” Sena (a joke referring to the Aditya Thackeray’s Yuva Sena) should start a ‘Save Memon Grave campaign.
In announcing that Fadnavis has ordered an investigation and Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar slammed the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)’s alleged connections with the mafiosi Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and how former NCP minister Nawab Malik ended up in jail.
Despite numerous attempts made by IANS to contact them, the Bada Qabrastan trustees were not available to comment on the issue.
(Quaid Najmi may be contacted via [email protected])
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