Government acted humanely in Yakub's hanging, ensured peace: RSS

New Delhi: The RSS on Saturday said the hanging of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon was dealt with humanely by the government by allowing his family access which ensured peace in the aftermath.

Senior leader Indresh Kumar said the government acted as it should in a democracy. It made sure that Memon's family was present in Nagpur to take the body and also allowed other people to participate in his funeral, which displayed "the values and morals of Indianness".

"There was an atmosphere in the country that some incident will take place (because of the hanging). Judiciary did its duty. Its duty is not to tackle the situation emerging out of it (the verdict). Who will tackle the problems that arise after the decision? It has to be tackled by the government."

"Government, while tackling the decision of the judiciary, followed the basic structure of Indianness which was that when the person is being hanged, his family is give access," he said.

Indresh said such a gesture was absent the "last time", a reference to the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. He added that the government also ensured the Memon family's stay in Nagpur and then gave them permission to hold the last rites and allowed people to participate.

"All humane behaviour that is expected in a democracy was displayed hundred per cent by the government," he said during a seminar held here on border management issues.

Indresh said because of these gestures, "no untoward incident" was later reported from any part of the country.

The senior functionary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said the entire incident displayed the true value and morals of Indianness. He also took on the media saying it was speculating if "riots" would break out in the aftermath of the hanging on July 30.

Indresh said media and journalists should do their job with full "professionalism, nationalism and patriotism". "If this is practised then it will add to the country's strength," he said.

He said the media should undertake a self-review to check if it is serving the nation and humanity with its work. Indresh said those who forgot to pay tribute to former President APJ Abdul Kalam, whose funeral was held on the same day as Yakub, were "communalists".