Mumbai

The body of Yakub Menon, hanged this morning at Nagpur Central Prison for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, was buried at Bada Khabristan graveyard here in the evening amid tight security with close relatives and a large crowd turning up.

The body of Memon, who went to the gallows on his 53rd birthday after exhausting all legal options to escape capital punishment, was flown here from Nagpur earlier in the day.

The coffin was taken to the graveyard at Marine Lines from the Memon family residence at Mahim, where the body was kept for about two hours for the last rites and prayers by the family members and others.

Police had banned the body being taken in a procession as part of security and law and order steps.

Over 30,000 personnel of Mumbai police, under the supervision of senior officers including City Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, had been deployed both at Mahim and the graveyard.

A large crowd, however, trickled and gathered from different parts of the city by the time the body reached the graveyard at 4.15 in the afternoon and the burial was over within an hour.

Yakub’s brothers and close relatives along with others were present.

Each entrant into the graveyard was initially frisked and made to go through metal detectors installed at the entrance of the over a century old graveyard but later it was stopped in view of rush.

Apart from Mumbai Police, personnel from State Reserve Police Force, Quick Response Team, Rapid Action Force along with other para military contingents had been deployed in entire South Mumbai since last night.

Mumbai Police had earlier detained 526 known criminals and history sheeters as a preventive measure.

Yakub Memon woken up three hours before hanging

Nagpur

Yakub Memon was woken up from his solitary prison cell here at 4am today, three hours before his scheduled execution time, as the task of preparing the only death row convict in the 1993 blasts case for the gallows went off without any hitch.

The preparations for the hanging at the Nagpur Central Prison were underway much before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, 1050 km away in Delhi, pronounced its order at 4.50am, ending the last hope of a reprieve for Yakub on his 53rd birthday today.

And in a little over two hours after the order of the apex court in an unprecedented overnight hearing in a courtroom was pronounced, the hanging of Yakub, a chartered accountant by profession, was carried out at 7 am sharp after the jail procedures were followed with clockwork precision, according to available accounts of the last moments of the convict.

Yakub’s brother Suleman and cousin Usman, who arrived here last evening hoping against hope that he will be spared the gallows through the last-gasp legal battle, were the only family members present to bid him a tearful farewell late last night before returning to the hotel where they were staying.

There was a heavy deployment of police around the high-security prison and mediapersons were not allowed to meet the two relatives of Yakub.

Suleman and Usman returned to the prison this morning after the execution to claim the body. Suleman had last evening moved an application seeking that Yakub’s body be handed over to the family.

After beign woken up at 4 am, Yakub took a bath, wore a set of new clothes, took light refreshments and offered prayers and recited a few lines from the Holy Quran.

According to his lawyer, Anil Gedam, Yakub had looked nervous yesterday but was hopeful of some last-minute miracle.

As prescribed by the law, Chief Judicial Magistrate was present to supervise the proceedings and read out the charge against him before the execution.

The timeline for the hanging prepared by the prison officials and which was reported to have been followed:

4-00 am : Yakub Memon woken up in his cell.

4-15 am : Yakub takes bath.

4-30 am : He was given a set of new clothes to wear.

4-45 am : He was offered light refreshment.

5-00 am : A team of doctors conducted last-minute check-up.

5-30 am : Yakub offered prayers and recited `Aayte’ from Holy Quran.

6-00 am : Yakub was moved from his cell to the next cell before execution.

6-15 am : Jail superintendent Yogesh Desai and Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Meera Borwankar carried out inspection of platform and Manila rope which was between one and one and half inches (2.59 to 3.81 cm) in thickness (as per the Jail Manual).

6-30 am : Thick black veil was placed on his face and he was taken to “Fansi Yard”.

6-45 am : The Chief Judicial Magistrate read out the operative part of the TADA Court verdict.

6-50 am : Yakub was made to stand on the hanging platform and the rope was placed and locked around his neck.

6-55 am : All the officials, the hangman, jail authorities reported that the gallows and placement of noose around the neck are in order.

7-00 am : The CJM signalled the hangman to pull the lever. After 30 minutes the hanging body was lowered and doctors declared Yakub dead.

The body was then taken for autopsy and subsequently wrapped and placed in a coffin which was handed over to Suleman and Usman who accompanied it on a scheduled commercial flight to Mumbai.

Maharashtra govt averted rumour mongering about Yakub’s execution

Mumbai

Maharashtra government actively kept tabs on the Internet and social media to ensure that hate messages on platforms like Twitter and Whatsapp did not stir up passions, besides maintaining a close vigil on the law and order situation in connection with Yakub Memon’s execution.

“Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stayed awake until the wee hours today, monitoring the law and order situation and following up the development on the Supreme Court front in the case,” a senior official told PTI.

Special attention was given to the message traffic on the Yakub Memon case on social media and untoward messages which could have spread hatred among various sections of society were blocked, the official said.

Hate posts were not limited merely to the virtual world but in Nasik and some other places, authorities removed offensive banners which painted Yakub as a traitor and sought to celebrate his execution, he added.

When it became clear that Yakub would be buried in Mumbai, senior police officials planned for all eventualities and their preparations seem to have paid off since no untoward incident has been reported until and during his last rites, the official said.

Security of SC judges who dismissed Memon plea beefed up

New Delhi

Security of three Supreme Court judges, who dismissed the petition to stay Yakub Memon’s death warrant leading to his execution this morning, has been beefed up as a precautionary measure.

“Security of justices Dipak Misra, Prafulla Chandra Pant and Amitava Roy has been increased. It is a precautionary step,” a Home Ministry official said.

The number of police personnel at their homes has been increased besides increase in patrolling by Delhi Police around their vicinity.

The three-judge bench had upheld the death warrant against the 1993 Mumbai blasts convict.

The bench also dismissed a petition filed in the wee hours today seeking stay on Yakub’s death warrant. The plea was made after the President last night rejected Yakub’s second mercy petition.

“Stay of death warrant would be a travesty of justice.

The plea is dismissed,” said the three-judge bench.

Meanwhile, Home Ministry has sent a country-wide advisory for extra vigil and deployment of forces in sensitive areas.

Paramilitary forces in the bordering states have been asked to maintain high surveillance.

PTI