Saturday, August 6 2005 13:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: He may have masterminded the lethal London bombings on July 7 with pride but hundreds of miles away, those living in his ancestral village in Gujarat, look down upon the deeds of British national Haroon Rashid Aswat with scorn.

Aswat, of Gujarati descent but born and brought up in West Yorkshire, was arrested last week and is being held by British police as the alleged mastermind of the London tube and bus blasts that claimed 56 lives and injured many.

A member of Aswat's ancestral village in Surat district, Yusuf Patwasi, told PTI over phone that the Aswat's family had migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) 40 years ago and the entire community was shocked when the name of Haroon Aswat emerged in the case.

He denounced the actions of Haroon and said the community would not flinch if he was hung for his actions.

"He has brought disgrace to his ancestral village. The entire town has condemned his actions and role in the incident and there would be no regret if he was hanged to death. His father and grandfather were good people though," Patwasi said.

The Aswat family has a well-kept ancestral house in the town where his aged aunt still lives, said the panchayat member.

Patwasi said the involvement of Haroon in the blasts would not have any impact on the behaviour of the town people towards his aged aunt.

"We are peace-loving people. There was not a single incident of rioting in this town even when the state was on fire during the post-Godhra violence. Then, how can anybody harm an old woman just because she is related to a criminal," he added.

Another villager Yakubmiyan remembered how Haroon's father Rashid, who used to work with his father in their fields as a little boy before they migrated, had come to the town in 1998 for some work and seemed worried as his son was estranged from them since 10 years.

Villagers also recounted how Haroon's father was a good student in the local school and had a good memory while reciting the holy Koran.

Many residents of the village have migrated to the UK and other European countries in the past few decades.