A special NIA court on Wednesday convicted 19 people, including four Bangladeshis, in the 2014 Burdwan blast case, officials said. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Friday.
“The 19 accused have admitted their guilt in court. On Friday, the court will announce what punishment they will face,” said Shyamal Ghosh, lawyer for the National Investigation Agency, adding that the maximum punishment for the convicts could be life behind bars.
On October 2, 2014, when the entire state was immersed in Durga Puja celebrations, an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in a rented two-storey house in Khagragarh in Burdwan town, about 100 km from Kolkata, killed two persons, exposing a network of Bangladeshi jihadi elements running an arms and explosives factory in the state.
At least 30 people, who have been charge-sheeted in the case, are in judicial custody. The trial against the rest will continue, an NIA statement said. The court has been hearing the case in-camera.
Among the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections under which the 19 have been convicted are 120B (criminal conspiracy), 125 (waging or attempt to wage war against the government of any Asiatic power in alliance or at peace with the government of India), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act.
{{/usCountry}}Among the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections under which the 19 have been convicted are 120B (criminal conspiracy), 125 (waging or attempt to wage war against the government of any Asiatic power in alliance or at peace with the government of India), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act.
{{/usCountry}}The Bangladeshi citizens were convicted under the Foreigners Act.
The Burdwan blast of 2014 is significant since it blew the lid off a flourishing network of terror elements belonging to the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in Bengal, especially in the districts of Burdwan, Birbhum and Nadia.
The NIA took charge of investigations the same year and submitted the first charge sheet in March 2015, mentioning a conspiracy to overthrow the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh.
“The rented house was occupied by the members of JMB, ostensibly for burkha-stitching, though in reality it was being used for the nefarious activity of bomb-making,” said the NIA statement.
A large number of IEDs, explosives, hand grenades and training videos were recovered during the investigation.