Mumbai: Survivors of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks on Thursday praised the Indian government following the extradition of Tahawwur Rana from the United States, urging that the Pakistani-Canadian national be given the death penalty.

“India will be hailed when Tahawwur Rana is sentenced to death. I identified the terrorist Kasab during the trial. PM Modi ji is like a lion; we went inside Pakistan and killed terrorists. After Tahawwur Rana, it will be David Headley, Hafiz Saeed... We are Indians; we are not scared...”  26/11 survivor Natwarlal Rotawan said.

Devika Natwarlal Rotawan, another survivor of the Mumbai attacks, described Rana’s extradition as a major achievement.

“Tahawwur Rana being brought to India is a big victory for the Government of India. Hafiz Saeed, Dawood Ibrahim and other terrorist masterminds in Pakistan should also be brought to India and hanged till death,” she said.

Victim recalls the horror at the railway station

Sunita, a resident of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, lost her husband in the terror attacks. Recalling the incident, she said, “In the terror attack, my husband was killed. We were at the railway station platform at the time of the attack. On hearing gunshots, initially, we thought it was the sound of firecrackers. When we tried to run away, my husband was hit by a bullet in his head. I ran with my children to save ourselves. I was also hit in the attack.”

Rana to be taken into Custody by NIA

Tahawwur Rana is being extradited to India, where the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take custody of him upon arrival.

Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national, was convicted in the United States for assisting operatives of the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and providing material support to the group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people.

Pursuit of justice for 26/11 victims

The Indian government had been pursuing Rana’s extradition for several years. A recent decision by the US Supreme Court has now cleared the way for his transfer to India. His extradition is seen as a major development in the long-standing quest for justice for the victims of the attacks.

Special public prosecutor appointed

Meanwhile, the Central Government has appointed Advocate Narender Mann as the Special Public Prosecutor to conduct trials and related proceedings in the NIA case RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI against Tahawwur Hussain Rana and David Coleman Headley. Headley is currently serving a sentence in a US prison following a plea agreement.

ANI