"Anyone who fled after committing a crime must be brought back": Supriya Sule on Tahawwur Rana extradition

Supriya Sule/ File Pic

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule has welcomed the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and stated that anyone who has committed a crime in India and fled the country should be brought back to face justice.

Speaking to ANI, Sule said, "Of course, we welcome it (Rana's extradition). Anybody who's committed a crime in India and has fled must be brought back." According to ANI, her comments come in the wake of a significant development in the long-standing efforts to bring the accused to trial on Indian soil.

Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, is facing charges in India for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, which left over 160 people dead, including six Americans. As per ANI, Rana was extradited by the United States after years of legal proceedings, and is now in India under the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The US Department of Justice termed the extradition a "critical step" towards seeking justice for the victims of one of the deadliest terror attacks on Indian soil. "Rana's extradition is a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacks," the department stated in an official release dated 10 April, as per ANI.

Rana was extradited after exhausting all legal options in the US. He is charged with offences including conspiracy, murder, the commission of a terrorist act, and forgery, linked to his alleged coordination with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, the banned terror outfit believed to have orchestrated the attacks.

Rana was flown into India late on 10 April and produced before a special NIA court, which subsequently remanded him to 18 days of NIA custody, ANI reports.

Meanwhile, Sule also addressed the issue of global crude oil prices, noting that a sharp drop in rates has not reflected in relief for Indian consumers. "I'm going to write to the Minister of Petroleum that when crude oil globally has crashed, I see no reason why that benefit has not been given to the consumer of India and Indian citizens," she told ANI.

When asked about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's comments linking fuel price hikes to international tariffs, Sule dismissed the correlation, saying, "What has that got to do with the crude price? I don't know what the DCM has said. I am just telling you what I am going to write to the Petroleum Minister."

Ajit Pawar, on his part, mentioned that rising petrol and diesel prices could be partly attributed to tariffs imposed by the United States on multiple countries. He added that the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra would raise the issue with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is expected to visit the state over the next two days, ANI reports.

(With inputs from ANI)