‘Will papa come back if Kasab is hanged’

Six-year-old Yash Waghela does not understand the hype surrounding the 26/11 judgment day. “Will my pappa come back if he (Kasab) is hanged?” he asks. He is almost sure that death for the lone arrested 26/11 terrorist will act as a compensatory bargain:

Since the deadly night of 26/11 when he saw his father,Thakur Waghela,being gunned down while enjoying a quiet dinner in the shanty located in the bylanes of Cama Hospital,Yash and his elder siblings,Dhaval and Roshni,have been fighting demons. “They just get nervous and even scared when Kasab’s photos are shown on news channels. And ever since they have got to know of Monday when verdict for Kasab will be given,Yash thinks that his father will come back,” says Karuna,widow of Waghela,a sweeper at G T Hospital.

Dhaval over the last few months had taken it upon himself to finish off Kasab. “He killed my father now I will kill him,” he would say. Even after four sessions with child psychiatrist,the children are yet to recover. Yash,Karuna says,thinks that if Kasab dies,his father will once again be back with him.

The mother of three has been having harrowing time trying to condition her children’s mind from turning towards bad thoughts. Having taken her deceased husband’s job at the same hospital,she spends the evenings and free time trying to remove fear and make her kids strong. “He (Kasab) is a demon… why are they still keeping him alive when so many families have suffered and many more kids orphaned?” she asks.