Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and four others were sentenced to death by an NIA special court in Cherlapally Central Prison on Monday for the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts in which 18 people were killed in February 2013. The main accused, Riyaz Bhatkal, is absconding.
The court observed that the case qualified as “rarest of the rare” because of the manner in which the IM operatives conspired to place bombs to create terror, and executed the plan.
This is the first time that IM operatives have been sentenced. All five — Yasin Bhatkal, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahseen Akhtar alias Monu and Aijaz Sheikh — are currently lodged in Cherlapally Prison.
On December 13, the NIA court had convicted them under Sections 302, 307, 324, 326, 121, 122, 201 read with 120B of the IPC, Sections 3 & 5 of The Explosives Substances Act and Sections 18, 19, 20, 38 (2), 39 (2) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
After their conviction, the five convicts wrote separate letters to the judge, alleging that they were wrongly accused by the NIA and that the trial was biased.
Today, just before the sentencing, the court asked them if they had anything to say. Special Public Prosecutor K Surender Rao said the five convicts told the judge they would accept the court’s decision. “They showed no emotion, no anger, remorse or regret. They asked to be given a copy of the judgment so that they can appeal further,’’ said Rao.
“The court observed that the case fell in the rare category because of the way the blasts were planned and executed, causing the death of innocent people, and injuring 119 people, many of whom were maimed for life. The court noted that they also did not show any remorse or regret for their act,’’ said Rao.
Watch what else is making news:
“It was the collective work of NIA officers, investigators and the prosecution team which led to this sentencing,’’ said Rao.
On February 21, 2013, 18 people were killed and 119 injured in two explosions in Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area in Hyderabad. In its first chargesheet, the NIA accused Yasin Bhatkal, alias Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa, and Asadullah Akhtar of conspiring to plant bombs at two places. Asadullah Akhtar and Yasin Bhatkal were arrested by the NIA from the Nepal border in Bihar on August 29, 2013. Asadullah Akhtar was also accused of smuggling the explosives from Mangalore to Hyderabad.
The second chargesheet was filed after Zia-ur-Rehman and Tahseen Akhtar were arrested in March 2014. The NIA said Riyaz Bhatkal had sent the explosives and funds to Mangalore, where it was handed over to Asadullah Akhtar and Zia-ur-Rehman. The duo then took it to Hyderabad, where they joined Tahseen Akhtar in preparing two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) using pressure cookers.
According to the chargesheet, the IM operatives conducted a test blast at Abdullahpurmet, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The trio also purchased two bicycles on February 20, 2013. On Februry 21, 2013, they placed the two IEDs on the two bicycles and parked them in two separate places in Dilsukhnagar.
While Yasin Bhatkal hails from Bhatkal in Karnataka, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi is from Uttar Pradesh, Zia-ur-Rehman is from Pakistan, Tahseen Akhtar is from Bihar, and Aijaz Shaikh is from Maharashtra.
The NIA court examined 453 witnesses during the course of the trial which began on August 24 last year.