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| '93 blasts: One more gets death, life terms for two | | |
MUMBAI, JUL 20 (PTI)
A man who planted a bomb in the 1993 serial blasts was today sentenced to death, taking to seven the number of persons awarded capital punishment in the case, while a former customs official and another man were given life imprisonment by a special court here.
Iqbal Yusuf Shaikh planted an explosive-laden scooter near a dispensary on Naigaum Cross Road in central Mumbai on March 12, 1993, but the bomb did not explode.
Shaikh also drove co-accused Nasim Barmare to Mumbai international airport, where the latter lobbed grenades at aircraft parked in the bay but failed to cause any damage.
Twelve blasts had rocked the city on that day, killing 257 people and injuring over 700.
Judge Pramod Kode of the special Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) noted that since the bomb planted in Naigaum did not go off, Shaikh had not caused any casualties.
However, the judge sentenced him to death after taking into consideration his deep involvement in the conspiracy and his participation in two terrorist acts.
The court has sentenced to death six other men who planted bombs over the past two days. Sixteen of the 100 convicts in the case have been awarded life imprisonment.
Former additional collector of customs Somnath Thapa, convicted for allowing the landing of arms and explosives before the blasts, was shown leniency and awarded a life sentence as he is suffering from cancer.
Bashir Khairulla, part of a group that threw grenades at the Fishermen's Colony in central Mumbai to incite communal violence, was sentenced to life imprisonment despite his claim that he had not lobbed any grenades.
Khairulla could not throw a grenade as he failed to remove its safety pin, and this resulted in his escaping the death sentence. He too was given two concurrent life sentences and directed to pay a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh for being part of the "joint mission" in the attack, as the judge put it.
Khairulla was also convicted for receiving training in handling weapons in Sandheri and for involvement in preparing bombs.
The court has sentenced 87 of the 100 convicts in the case. Thirteen convicts, including kin of Tiger Memon and actor Sanjay Dutt, found guilty under the Arms Act, are yet to be sentenced. The court will resume pronouncing sentences on July 24.
Shaikh, 34, was also convicted for undergoing weapons training at Sandheri in Raigad and preparing car bombs. After hearing the sentence, a frail-looking Shaikh said he was not well and nobody was taking care of him.
"I am ill for the past six days...I wanted to tell this to judge sahib," he said. Shaikh is suffering from various ailments and has received treatment for depression. Kode himself mentioned that Shaikh had not eaten for days together.
Thapa, (58), given life imprisonment for allowing prime conspirators Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon to land RDX and arms on the Raigad coast, was awarded a second life imprisonment term for being party to the conspiracy.
He will have to pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh. Considering Thapa's poor health, the CBI did not ask for the death sentence for him.
Four of Thapa's subordinates were sentenced for facilitating the landing of arms. CBI's case against Thapa was that he diverted a surveillance team so that arms and RDX could be smuggled into the country for use in the bombings.
Bashir Ahmed Usman Ghani Khairulla was a part of a group of six persons who lobbed grenades at Mahim's fishermen colony, killing three and injuring six. The attack triggered a small riot in the area.
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