Protesting widows, kin of 26/11 victims detained

Led by former MP and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya, the aggrieved persons were proceeding to meet Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan at his official residence, ‘Varsha,’ in south Mumbai Saturday afternoon.

“It is really sad than disturbing. The people were going to air their genuine grievances and urge the CM (chief minister) to fulfill the government’s promises made three years ago. But look, we have been thrown into the lock-up,” said Somaiya.

He told media persons that the protestors were peacefully moving on way to meet Chavan, but were stopped by the police en route.

"When they insisted on going to meet the CM, the police declined permission, rounded them up in vans and took them to the Marine Lines police station lock-up," the BJP leder added.

“Today is a sad day for all of us. These people wanted to remind Chavan that they had been promised government jobs, accommodation, medical care and other types of assistance by the government. However, even three years after the terror attacks, nothing had materialized. Instead, they have been dumped into the lock-up,” he said.

Somaiya said the central and state governments have funds to keep the convicted Pakistani terrorist, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, comfortably in jail, but have no money for the people widowed or orphaned by him and his nine other terrorist associates.

He declared that the victims and he himself would “not leave” the lock-up until Chavan came and conceded their long-pending genuine demands.