Remove RR Patil for "leaking" details on Kasab burial: Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena MLC Anil Parab has asked Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan to dismiss Home Minister R R Patil from the state cabinet for “leaking details” about 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab’s time in prison and his cremation inside the Yerwada jail. Parab said he has based his demand for Patil’s dismissal on a four-page article written by the Home Minister in a Marathi Diwali magazine published by a media house. [caption id=“attachment_125283” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil. AFP[/caption] The four-page article titled ‘Operation X’ divulges details about Kasab’s violent behaviour inside the barracks, how the state went about his cremation inside the Yerwada Jail in Pune and who performed the last rites. Parab asked the Governor to take strict cognisance of the details shared by Patil in the magazine as it has “compromised national security”. The legislator also pointed out that the minister has failed to live by the oath of secrecy taken at the time of appointment as minister in the state cabinet. Parab said the four-page article by the home minister leaked details about how the prisoners at Yerwada jail dug up three huge pits at different locations for Kasab’s burial. “Patil, who is craving for publicity at all times, also gave away information about who performed the last rites on the terrorist,” he said. In his article, Patil said the last rites were performed by a maulvi who is the son of one of the prison staff. This information is sufficient to identify the person concerned as the Yerwada prison could have only a handful of Muslim staff and it is very easy to identify the maulvi whose father is a prison staffer, Parab said. The minister has in a way helped identify the person who was involved in the cremation of the terrorist and his life could be at risk because of Patil, he said. When the US Seals killed Osama Bin Laden, no one ever spoke about where Bin Laden was cremated, if at all he was cremated, Parab said. However, in this case Patil has compromised the security of a citizen and leaked juicy details about the terrorist merely to get publicity, the Sena leader alleged. PTI