INDIA - Christian leaders differ on death sentence

(May 8, 2010) Christian leaders in India differed on handing the death sentence to the lone surviving gunman of the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai. A special court on April 6 sentenced Mohammad Ajmal Kasab to death by hanging for unleashing terror in the Indian commercial capital on Nov. 26-29, 2008. Kasab and nine other gunmen attacked vital points in the city, killing at least 173 people and injuring more than 300 in the three-day long rampage. Police captured Kasab alive on the first day, while the others were killed in encounters with security forces. “We welcome the judgment. It is a message to everybody that the rule of law prevails,” Church of North India Secretary General Reverend Enos Pradhan said. He added that if such strong action was not taken there “will be no discipline, no rule of law.” However, a Catholic official differed. Capuchin Father Nithiya Sagayam, secretary for the Indian bishops’ Commission for Justice, Peace and Development said the Church is opposed to capital punishment. Instead of capital punishment, Kasab should “be guided and improved,” he said. “Capital punishment does not solve any problem. It will only make things worse,” he said. Father Sagayam said no government can stop terrorism by killing people. “You cannot justify killing a person,” he added.