Witness identifies bus blast accused

Deposing before Additional Sessions Judge, Rajiv Sinha, who was travelling in that bus, points towards accused Mohd Rafiq Shah alleging that he had left the bag containing explosives in the bus, reports Naziya Alvi.

The prosecution in the 2005 Diwali-eve blasts case on Saturday got a boost with a witness identifying one of the bombers in the case.

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Mohd Rafiq Shah had allegedly planted a bomb in a DTC bus.

The serial blasts at three different places —Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj and Kalkaji — on October 29, 2005, had claimed 67 lives and injured over 225.

Deposing before Additional Sessions Judge Babu Lal, Rajiv Sinha, who was travelling in that bus, pointed towards accused Mohd Rafiq Shah alleging that he had left the bag containing explosives in the bus.

“I boarded the bus from Noida crossing. When the bus reached the Okhla turn, the accused (pointing towards Rafiq) came and handed over the bag to a person and left saying that he was going to buy ticket,” Sinha said.

More than 20 persons had sustained injuries in the blast after the bus driver Kuldeep Singh and conductor Budh Prakash threw the bag outside the vehicle.

Singh lost his eyesight while Prakash was also seriously injured.