2013 Bodh Gaya serial blast case: All accused found guilty

All the five accused in the Bodh Gaya serial blast case were held guilty by a local court in Patna on Friday. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on May 31.

Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) judge Manoj Kumar Sinha convicted Imtiyaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Mujib Ullah, Omair Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureishi under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act. The sixth accused, Taufique Ahmed, a juvenile, was earlier sentenced to three years of confinement to a remand home.

Defence lawyer Surya Prakash Singh told the court that the NIA had failed to produce CCTV footage of the blast. A security guard, who was present at one of the sites when the explosions took place, had failed to recognise any of the accused.

However, public prosecutor Lalan Prasad Sinha pointed out that the accused persons were involved in terrorist activities and this was corroborated by the statements of as many as 90 witnesses recorded during the trial.

“Though we had raised some important objections, the court in its wisdom held them guilty…,” defence counsel Surya Prakash Singh said later. “We’ll appeal in the Patna High Court,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told journalists that “those involved in terrorist activities have no religion or creed… they deserve stern punishment.”

The Buddhist pilgrim town of Bodh Gaya was rocked by a series of explosions on July 7, 2013, causing injuries to several people, including some monks. The blast was set off allegedly to avenge the atrocities against Rohingya in Myanmar.