National Investigation Agency judge Gurvinder Malhotra handed life sentences to two of the nine convicts, 10-year terms to two others, and seven years to one
Dev Raj, Patna: A special court on Monday awarded death sentences to four convicts for the 2013 serial blasts at the venue of then Gujarat chief minister and NDA prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s “Hunkaar Rally” at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.
National Investigation Agency judge Gurvinder Malhotra handed life sentences to two of the nine convicts, 10-year terms to two others, and seven years to one.
Some 20 bombs had been planted, of which at least eight went off — some before Modi arrived and some while he was speaking — killing six people and seriously injuring 89. Modi went on speaking as the blasts continued at distances up to 200 metres from him.
Another bomb went off at the Patna Junction railway station but caused no serious casualties.
Special public prosecutor Lalan Prasad Singh told reporters that death sentences had been awarded to “Hyder Ali, Imtiyaz Ansari, Mujibullah and Noman Ansari”.
“Umar Siddiqui and Azharuddin have been given life sentences; Ahmad Hussain and Firoz Aslam have got 10 years and Iftikhar Alam, seven years.”
The verdict had been announced on October 27, exactly eight years after the October 27, 2013, blasts.
One of the accused was a minor and was transferred to the juvenile justice system. The remaining 10 were kept at Beur Central Jail and tried at the NIA court. One was acquitted for lack of evidence.
According to the NIA chargesheet, the accused had learnt to assemble time bombs from an online magazine published by al Qaida.
The NIA said Hyder was the mastermind and used several identities in Jharkhand, Kerala and other states. He was allegedly known as “Black Beauty” in terror circles.
