Indian Mujahideen operative Mirza Himayat Baig, whose death sentence in the 2010 Pune German Bakery blast case was recently commuted to life imprisonment by the Bombay High Court, attacked a death-row prisoner Rajesh Daware, a convict in the sensational Yug Chandak murder case, at the Nagpur Central Jail on Wednesday.
Prison officials said that the attack took place in the kitchen of the prison, where Baig allegedly hit Daware on his head with a ladle.
The jail personnel present in the kitchen intervened and stopped the brawl. Daware was rushed to the prison hospital, while the Dhantoli Police Station lodged an FIR against Baig.
It was not immediately known what prompted Baig to attack Daware.
It was only a few days ago that the family members of Baig had complained that despite relief from the court, Baig was still lodged at the Phansi Yard of Nagpur Central Prison in solitary confinement when he should have been shifted to a different yard where he could mingle with other inmates.
On March 17 this year, the Bombay HC quashed the capital punishment awarded to Baig by the trial court in the 2010 Pune German Bakery blast for lack of evidence, even while confirming the life sentence imposed on him for possession of explosives.
When the HC began hearing arguments on his petition challenging the death sentence Baig had been moved from Nagpur Central Prison to Arthur Road Prison in Mumbai.
However, after the HC judgment, he was shifted back to the Nagpur Central Jail.
In its verdict, a HC division bench of Justices N H Patil and S B Shukre ruled that it had acquitted Baig of all charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC, and under some sections of the Explosive Substances Act.
The HC bench, however, confirmed Baig’s conviction and life imprisonment awarded to him by the trial court under section 5(B) of the Explosive Substances Act, for possession of RDX.
The court also confirmed Baig’s conviction under section 474 of IPC, for submitting forged documents while procuring mobile phone SIM cards.
The HC bench noted that the prison term already undergone by Baig in prison from his arrest till date would be considered as part of the sentence.
On April 18, 2013, a Pune court had sentenced Baig to death on four major counts, including murder and conspiracy, in the February 13, 2010 German Bakery blasts, in which 17 persons were killed and 60 others injured.
Baig had been sentenced to death under sections 302 (murder), 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), of IPC, besides section 16 (a) of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and section 3 of Explosive Substances Act – all of which attracted death penalty.