By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Hyderabad: A local criminal court in Hyderabad has framed charges against four persons allegedly belonging to Indian Mujahideen in 2007 Gokul Chat and Lumbani Park bomb blast case.
Mohammed Akbar Ismail Chaudhary, Anique Shafiq Syed, Mohammed Sadiq Ansar Ahmed Sheik and Farooq Sharfuddin, are charged under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC, the Explosive Substances and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code for their alleged involvement in the twin blasts and also with regard to the recovery of an unexploded bomb under a foot over-bridge at Dilsukhnagar, which was later defused.
On August 25, 2007 two powerful explosions occurred at Gokul Chat killing 32 people and at Lumbani park killing 10 people and leaving scores injured another live bomb was found at Dilsuknagar but was later detonated by bomb squad. This terror attack occurred just 3 months after deadly bombing at Mecca Masjid.
Although immediately after the blast more than 100 local Muslim youths were detained and later 32 of them were prosecuted under various terror conspiracy theories and after two years all of them were acquitted.
The Mumbai crime branch, on the other hand, started series of arrests of 20 Muslim youths alleged to be IM members in October 2008. During interrogation some of the accused allegedly confessed to the Mumbai police of their involvement in Hyderabad twin blasts apparently stating that they carried it out to take revenge for the blast at Mecca Masjid on May 18, 2007 by “Hindu militants”.
Hyderabad SIT which was investigating the case by arresting scores of local innocent Muslim youths stopped their operations and took the custody of those four youths and brought them to Hyderabad for the trail in February 2009.
But even as Counter Intelligence Cell submitted its voluminous chargesheet in the court and got the permission to prosecute the accused, but before any charges could have been framed in the court, Gujarat police took the custody of those four youths for their alleged involvement in Ahmadabad 21 serial bomb blast cases.
Gujarat Government issued orders prohibiting transfer of the accused to any state before trail in Ahmedabad bomb blast is completed.
Finally after a gap of nearly four years AP Counter Intelligence Cell got the custody of the four accused and presented them before the second additional metropolitan magistrate at Nampally criminal court on August 28 and 29 and charges were finally farmed against the present four accused.
In 1125 pages chargesheet, with nearly 286 witnesses, Counter Intelligence Cell has charged 7 persons in addition with the present four, Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Mohd Sadiq Ansar Ahmed Shaik and Amir Reza Khan are also chargsheeted but claimed to be absconding.
Now with the recent arrest of Yasin Bhatkal by NIA, Hyderabad police is hopeful to get more leads in the twin blast case and the exact involvement of other Bhatkal brother Riyaz and Iqbal.
However, in the court when charges were getting framed against the four accused, they started complaining to the judge and accused the police of wrong doings in their case. When court allowed one of them to present their statement, Anique Shafeeq Syed who is being charged for planting bomb at Lumbanai park told the judge that investigating agency OCTOPUS in 2009 brought him along with other accused to Hyderabad and during their custody they took their pictures from different angles and forced them to sign on blank papers.
On the accusations judge asked them to submit it in writing after which four accused submitted to the judge allegations against police and pleaded no unlawful activity from their part in the blast case.
The session Judge posted the case to October 28 for fixing the schedule to begin the trial and during that course court will decide on issuing summons to nearly 286 witnesses for recording their statements.
The accused were then send back into the Mumbai police custody which want to interrogate them for certain terror cases in the city. They have now been reportedly shifted to Maharashtra prison.