A Mumbai sessions court has handed the death penalty to five out of the twelve convicted in the 2006 serial train blasts. Seven of those convicted got life term. The prosecution had sought death for eight people.
Special MCOCA Judge Yatin Shinde pronounced the sentence two weeks after he found the 12 guilty in the blasts that claimed the lives of 188 and injured 829 commuters.
There were seven blasts in first class suburban railway compartments in 2006.
Special public prosecutor Raja Thakare had sought death for bomb planters Ehtesham Sidduiqui, Asif Khan, Fai sal Shaikh, Naveed Khan and Kamal Ansari. In addition to the five accused for planting the bombs, death has also been sought for key conspirator Dr Tanveer Ansari, Mohammed Ali, who provided his house in Govandi for bomb-making, and Sajid Ansari, who made timers and the electric circuit used in the bombs.
The sequence of events on the fateful day in July was as follows:
- Seven RDX bombs had exploded in the first class coaches of Mumbai’s suburban trains on July 11, 2006, killing 188 people and injuring 829
- The blast occurred between Khar Road-Santacruz, Bandra-Khar Road, Jogeshwari-Mahim Junction, Mira Road- Bhayander, Matunga- Mahim Junction and Borivali
- The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested the accused between July 20, 2006 and October 3, 2006, but ran into controversy in November the same year when the accused gave a written submission to court that their confessions were coerced
- In a trial that lasted for eight years, the prosecution examined 192 witnesses, including eight Indian Police Service (IPS) and five Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers as well as 18 doctors
- The defence lawyers examined 51 witnesses and one person was called as a court witness
- Kamal Ahamed Ansari (37), Tanvir Ahmed Ansari (37), Mohd Faisal Shaikh (36), Ehtesham Siddiqui (30), Mohammad Majid Shafi (32), Shaikh Alam Shaikh (41), Mohd Sajid Ansari (34), Abdul Wahid Shaikh (34), Muzzammil Shaikh (27), Soheil Mehmood Shaikh (43), Zamir Ahmad Shaikh (36), Naveed Hussain Khan (30), Asif Khan (38) are the accused who were arrested by Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS)
- Azam Chima, along with 14 others, is absconding in the case Examination of witnesses resumed after two years since the Supreme Court had stayed the trial in 2008
- Before the stay, the prosecution had already examined a police officer. The Supreme Court vacated the stay on April 23, 2010
(With agency inputs)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)