2007 Hyderabad blast: 2 Indian Mujahideen men convicted, 2 acquitted
On Tuesday, a Hyderabad court convicted two among the seven accused Indian Mujahideen operatives in the 2007 twin blasts case, that left 44 people dead and 68 injured. Aneeq Shafeeq Sayeed and Ismail Chaudhary were convicted, while two others were acquitted. Notably, the quantum of their sentences are yet to be pronounced. Here are the finer details.
Backstory: On August 25, 2007, twin blasts had rocked Hyderabad
On August 25, 2007, two near simultaneous blasts had rocked Hyderabad at around 7:45pm. One happened at the popular Gokul Chat eatery in Koti and left 32 dead and 47 injured. The other took place at an open air theater in Lumbini Park, killing 12 and injuring 21. A third, unexploded bomb was later discovered under a foot-over-bridge in the Dilsuknagar area.
Earlier, Intelligence Unit had arrested five alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives
Following the blasts, an investigation by the Counter Intelligence unit of the Telangana Police led to the arrest of five alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives - Sayeed, Chaudhary, Farooq Sharfuddin Tarkash, Mohammed Sadiq Israr Ahmed Shaik and Tarik Anjum. Four charge-sheets were filed against the five arrested, and they later named two more people, Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, who are still absconding.
Quantum of punishment not announced
Notably, in June this year, the trial against the accused was shifted from a court in the Nampally Court Complex to a court hall in the Cherlapalli Central Prison, where the accused are currently lodged. The verdict in the case was initially scheduled for August 27, but was later postponed to September 4. Now, it remains to be seen what fate awaits the convicts.
