The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court, Patna, on Friday convicted eight out of nine terrorists of Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for their role in the IED explosion in Bodh Gaya in 2018 when Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, along with several Buddhist pilgrims, was camping in the town to participate in the month-long Kalachakra puja.
The special NIA court of additional district and session judge-XV Gurwinder Singh Malhotra has fixed December 17 to pronounce the quantum of sentence. Those who were pronounced guilty were identified as—Arif Hussain, Dilwar Hossain, Adbul Karim, Mustafizur Rahman alias Shaheen (WB), Jahidul Islam alias Kaisar (Bangladesh national), Mohammad Paigambar Sheikh, Ahmad Ali alias Kalu, Nur Alam Nomani and Mohammad Adil Sheikh under Sections 121, 121A, 123 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
According to the special public prosecutor (NIA) Lallan Prasad Sinha, eight of the nine accused had filed a joint petition before the special court on October 22 confessing their crime for hatching conspiracy and executing blast, which was accepted by the court. Mohammad Jahidul Islam has not filed any petition confessing his crime.
Sinha told HT that all the accused earlier lodged in West Bengal were produced before the court on October 22 when the special court had issued a production warrant against the accused on September 22, 2021, and asked the competent authority to execute the order.
{{/usCountry}}Sinha told HT that all the accused earlier lodged in West Bengal were produced before the court on October 22 when the special court had issued a production warrant against the accused on September 22, 2021, and asked the competent authority to execute the order.
{{/usCountry}}All the accused persons have been chargesheeted for their involvement in the terrorist act of planting three IEDs in and around the Bodh Gaya temple complex on January 19, 2018. The case was initially registered by the Gaya police following information that some suspicious objects were lying near the Kalchakra Maidan, Bodh Gaya under a generator set. The police secured the site and during the search of the whole premises, two more live IEDs were recovered. Later on, the case was taken over by the NIA.
Investigation revealed accused Jahidul Islam, with the help of other co-accused, made three IEDs and two hand grenades. The IEDs were planted by Adil Sheikh, Dilwar Hossain and Arif Hussain in the premises of Bodh Gaya temple complex to cause loss to public life and property during the presence of the Dalai Lama and also during the visit of Bihar Governor at Bodh Gaya. All the nine accused were convicted in Burdwan and Banglore blast cases.