A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday sentenced five Indian Mujhideen terrorists — including Yasin Bhatkal — to death in the twin bomb blasts case. One of those handed down capital punishment Zia-ur-Rahman, alias Waqas, is a Pakistani while other three hail from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.
Special Court judge T Srinivas Rao pronounced the death sentence on Monday evening after hearing arguments of the defence counsel and the prosecution on the quantum of punishment.
The special court had found the five accused guilty in the case of two bomb blasts in crowded area of Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad on the evening
of February 21, 2013,
killing 18 people and injuring 131 others.
Yasin Bhatkal, alies Mohammed Ahmad Siddi-bappa, hails from Karnataka and was one of the key members of the IM.
However the accused number 1 in the case and the founder of IM Riyaz Bhatkal
is absconding and the Government believes that he is hiding in Pakistan.
Others who have been sentenced to death include Mohammed Tahseen Akhtar, alias Hasan, Asadullah Akhtar, alias Hadi, and Aijaz
Saeed Sheikh, alias Samar Armaan Tunde.
This is the first case in which the members of shadowy organisation IM were found guilty by a court of law in India. Indian investigation agencies said IM was a home-grown outfit conspiring and carrying out terror attack and waging war against the nation.
In the twin blast case, the prosecution had told the court that the accused had conspired and executed the terror attack to avenge various incidents of “atrocities against Muslims in India”.
The court had found all the six convicts, including Riyaz Bhatkal, guilty under the arms and explosives Act and Prevention of Unlawful activities Act on December 13 and sentenced was decided after arguments in the special court in the Charalapally Central Prison on the outskirts of Hyderabad amid tight security.
Special public prosecutor in his argument before the court sought capital punishment on the ground that what they had committed was a heinous crime.
However the door was open for the convicts to move the High Court against the verdict.
While Yasin Bhatkal was arrested in Bihar near India-Nepal border, the other four accused were picked up from different places across the country.
The Indian Mujahideen, which was charged in several other bomb blasts in the country, was banned in 2010 by the Indian Government.