Two sentenced to death for Hyderabad twin blasts

HYDERABAD: A special court on Monday sentenced two convicts to death and one to life imprisonment in the twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad that killed 44 people and injured more than 50 in 2007. At a special courtroom set up in the Cherlapally Central Prison, second additional metropolitan sessions judge T Srinivasa Rao sentenced Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives Anique Shafiq Syed and Akbar Ismail Choudhary to death, while the third convict, Tariq Anjum, was awarded life sentence.

HYDERABAD: A special court on Monday sentenced two convicts to death and one to life imprisonment in the twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad that killed 44 people and injured more than 50 in 2007.

At a special courtroom set up in the Cherlapally Central Prison, second additional metropolitan sessions judge T Srinivasa Rao sentenced Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives Anique Shafiq Syed and Akbar Ismail Choudhary to death, while the third convict, Tariq Anjum, was awarded life sentence.

Anjum was accused of providing shelter to the IM operatives in Delhi after the terrorist attacks in Hyderabad. While the verdict on the IM operatives was delivered last week, Anjum was convicted by the court on Monday.

Two other accused, Mohammad Sadiq Israr and Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash, were acquitted because there wasn’t enough evidence against them, public prosecutor K Surender said after the court’s judgment. “The convicted can appeal in the higher court challenging this judgment,” Surender said.

The counter intelligence (CI) wing of the Telangana Police had investigated the case and arrested five accused, all alleged to be linked to IM.

Charges were filed against eight people in the case, but three accused – Riyaz Bhatal, Iqbal Bhatkal and Amir Riza Khan – are absconding.

The twin blasts had hit Gokul Chat Bhandar, a popular eatery in the Koti area, and Lumbini Park, a recreation centre near the state secretariat, in Hyderabad, on August 25, 2007. While 34 people died in the Gokul Chat Bhandar blast, 10 others were killed in the explosion at Lumbini Park within a span of a few minutes.

The accused were charged under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and section 16 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act besides other relevant provisions of the Explosive Substances Act. About 170 witnesses were examined and crossexamined during the trial.

Monday’s judgment was welcomed by the families of the victims and those injured in the attack.