Devika Rotawan was nine-years-old when she was shot in the leg amidst the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. She was a key witness during the trial of Ajmal Kasab and identified him as a perpetrator of the attack — moving to Mumbai for the case and facing numerous hurdles over the past 15 years. Businessman Harsh Goenka also highlighted the many issues faced by Rotawan in a social media post on Monday evening.
“At 9, she faced bullets in the 26/11 attacks. She looked Kasab in the eye and testified sending a terrorist Ajmal Kasab to the gallows. What did Devika Rotawan get in return? No job. No support. No home for years. Just stage invites, photo-ops, and medals. As Devika says: ‘Awards don’t fill empty stomachs’. If this is how we treat our bravest? What does patriotism even mean?” Goenka wrote on X.
Rotawan underwent six surgeries after the attack and eventually lost the use of her right leg while recuperating — all while preparing for trial with lawyers and depositions. She was teased and shunned by her peers upon returning to school and eventually pressed pause for nearly two years. Neighbours and relatives began distancing themselves fearing reprisal from other terror groups and the family reportedly received threat calls until the trial ended.
“I was called Kasab ki beti (Kasab’s daughter). I used to run home crying because the girls used to tease me and did not want to play with me,” she had told Hindustan Times during a 2018 interview.
She eventually completed her schooling before graduating from Chetana College in Mumbai in 2023. The family received compensation from the government and financial support from various politicians and organisations soon after the attacks. However most of this money was spent on medical care for her brother who reportedly suffered from a debilitating bone disease and later compensation went towards her own treatments.