Yakub got chance to express his views on all forums: Rajnath

Yakub Memon, the Mumbai blasts convict who was hanged today, got every opportunity to express his point of view in different forums, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said and asked people to be united on issues like terrorism.

"We must take terrorism as a challenge and should not project ourselves as divided so that we can succeed in defeating it," he told reporters here.

Singh said it was for the first time in world's history that the highest court of the country heard someone's plea for mercy at such an hour in the morning.

"I think no other system can be as transparent as ours. A person who wants justice should be given chance in all forums and Yakub got the opportunity to keep his view point on all forums," he said.

The Home Minister said many people have lost their loved ones in 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai but the matter was looked into in details and after that this judgement came.

"So we must stay united in dealing with terror-related issues," he said.

Memon, the lone 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict whose death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, was hanged to death today, capping dramatic last-ditch legal manoeuvres by his lawyers to stall his execution that ended in failure.