The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Wednesday convicted nine of the 10 accused persons in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan serial bomb blasts case in which six people died and 80 were injured.
The quantum of punishment will be pronounced by the court on November 1.
The incident happened during the ‘Hunkar’ rally which was addressed by then Gujarat Chief Minister and prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on October 27, 2013. Mr. Modi had addressed the rally even after the blasts at the venue.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet against 10 persons in the case. One Faqruddin was acquitted by the special NIA court for lack of evidence.
All the accused were suspected members of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Indian Mujahideen (IM).
Those who were convicted are Numan Ansari, Haider Ali alias ‘black beauty’, Mohammad Mujibullah Ansari, Omar Siddiqui, Azharuddin Qureshi, Ahmad Hussain, Mohammad Iftekhar Alam, Mohd. Firoz Aslam and a minor whose identity has been protected.
One of the accused, Tariq Ansari, died while placing a bomb inside a toilet at the Patna junction.
As many as 17 Improvised Explosive Devices — seven of them were detonated — had been found in and around the Gandhi Maidan on October 27, 2013.
Most of the accused were residents of Sithio in Ranchi of Jharkhand. They are currently lodged in Beur central jail of Patna.
The NIA had taken up the case on November 6, 2013. Altogether 250 prosecution witnesses deposed before the trial court for cross-examination.
