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| India-Pakistan | ||
| Deendar activists convicted in church blasts | ||
| 2008-12-03 | ||
21 Deendar activists were convicted today by a Special court in connection with the serial bomb blasts in Churches in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
The judge Shivanagoudar, pronouncing the judgement in the Parappana Agrahara Central jail here, where the Special court was located through video conference due to security reasons acquitted four others for lack of evidence. The quantum of punishment would be announced tomorrow. The blasts had shook the state during May-July in 2000. The members of the Deendar Anjuman outfit were found guilty by the judge. The court had tried 25 persons, who were accused in four cases of church blasts. The then Congress Government headed by S M Krishna in Karnataka, had referred the church blast case to CoD in 2000, and the special court was set by the state government in 2005. The accused were charged under IPC section 120-B (Criminal conspiracy) and Expolsives Substances Act. The members of the Hyderabad-based Deendar Anjuman had triggered serial bomb blasts in three churches in Bangalore, Wadi and Hubli in the state during May and June 2000. The Karnataka police, who were clueless about the persons involved in the church blasts however stumbled upon the evidence against the culprits when they were on their way to place another bomb which accidently went off in their vehicle. Two suspects were killed in the blasts and another was rescued by the police with severe burns. The outlawed Deendar Anjuman group which had also planned to trigger bombs at the famous temple in Tirupathi, left behind leaflets of Bible Society of India to create an impression that the blast was the handiwork of Christians. Subsequent to the blasts, the Union Government had banned the organisation, the decision of which was also upheld by a Tribunal. Syed Zia-ul-Hassan, the prime accused and a Pakistani national was still at large and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had issued a red-corner notice against him. Hassan name also reportedly figured in the list of those most wanted by the Union Government, which was given to Pakistan by the NDA government for repartriation. In separate incidents, the Deendar Anjuman activists also allegedly planted timer devices in a few churches in Goa and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in May 2000.
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| Posted by:john frum |