He deserved it, say victims' kin

Purnendu Chatterjee, son of Meera Chatterjee, the 66-year-old woman who was shot dead at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in Mumbai at point-blank range by a terrorist on 26/11, still believes that had he and his brother not gone to buy food for their mother, they could have, at least, tried to save her.

“She was alone in the station and couldn’t walk fast due to age. Naturally she became easy prey to the terrorists. Perhaps, she took the bullets without even offering minimum resistance. If we had been there, at least we could have tried to save her,” Purnendu told Deccan Herald over phone, with remorse.

Asked whether he was happy at Kasab’s death, Purnendu said: “I would be lying if I said I am happy that Kasab who was responsible for my mother’s and others’ death has been hanged. He should have been given an excruciating and barbaric death”.   

“The station complex was strewn with limbs, blood and human parts. There was wailing all around and the man responsible for this gory act was only hanged. He deserved a painful death,” he said.

Meera Chatterjee, from Singur in Hooghly district, went to the country’s commercial capital to be with her son who had just lost his job and was in a state of deep depression.  She was waiting for her train to Kolkata at CST station when a terrorist walked up to Meera Chatterjee and shot her at point blank range.