A Holika Dahan effigy of the lone surviving terrorist of the Mumbai attacks Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman also known as Kasab, stands in a city neighbourhood. -- PHOTO: AFP
NEW DELHI - MUMBAI police have demanded the death penalty for the lone surviving suspect from November's militant attacks on the city, ahead of a trial expected to begin on Monday.
Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman, also known as Kasab, has been in police custody since Nov 26 and faces trial for murder and 'waging war against India'.
'We have demanded the death penalty for him,' Jayant Patil, home minister for Mumbai's state of Maharashtra, told reporters.
The penalty was called for because it was the rarest of rare cases, he added.
Iman appeared before an Indian court via videolink earlier on March 9 and was remanded in custody for a further two weeks.
He is accused of being part of a 10-man group that killed 165 people in the Nov 26-29 killing spree in Mumbai and belonging to the banned Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Nine gunmen were killed by Indian commandos during the attacks.
Both Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan have denied any involvement in the attacks but Islamabad did admit recently that the strikes were partly planned on its soil, and acknowledged that Iman is a Pakistani.
Two Indian nationals have also been charged for allegedly giving logistical support to the attackers. -- AFP
