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On Waliullah Khan’s death sentence, blast victim’s dad says justice finally prevails
Devidas, father of blast victim Haris Vjlani, said the family had faith in the judiciary and
Day after a local court sentenced terror convict Waliullah Khan to death for serial blasts in Varanasi, family members of victims killed in the explosion hailed the verdict, stating justice was finally served to them.
Devidas, father of blast victim Harish Vjlani, said the family had faith in the judiciary and that while there was a delay, justice finally prevailed.
"We had faith in the Indian judiciary. There was a delay but justice prevailed," he added, according to news agency ANI.
In 2006, at least 20 people were killed and about 100 were injured in two explosions at Varanasi’s Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple and a railway station. Khan, a resident of Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, was arrested from Lucknow. The trial of his cases was held in Ghaziabad after lawyers in Varanasi declined to defend him.
On Monday, the court awarded Khan life imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay fines. The death sentence will now have to be confirmed by the Allahabad high court.
Khan was convicted in two cases lodged under the Indian Penal Code sections of murder and attempt to murder, and under the Explosives Act, said district government counsel Rajesh Sharma. He was acquitted in a third case due to lack of evidence, Sharma said.
Besides Waliullah, there were four other suspects, of whom three (Mustafeez, Jakaria and Waseer) remain at large while a fourth (Mohammad Zuber) was killed in a police crackdown.
(With agency inputs)
