A special court, on Friday, convicted all five accused in the 2013 Bodh Gaya serial blast case. A National Investigative Agency (NIA) special court awarded life imprisonment to Umer Siddiqui, Azaharuddin Qureshi, Imtiyaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Mujibullah Ansari and a juvenile, all belonging to the Indian Mujahideen.
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Last year, Patna’s Juvenile Justice Board convicted the juvenile and gave him a three year sentence in connection with the Bodh Gaya blast and the Patna cases. The accused was involved in the conspiracy of carrying out explosions in both the places.
On July 7, 2013, the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya was rocked by at least 10 bomb blasts soon after the morning prayers. A total of 13 bombs were planted, out of which 10 exploded. Three bombs were seized and defused.
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Three months later, a series of bomb blasts occurred at the ‘Hunkar Rally’ venue in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, which was addressed by Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. All five accused were also involved in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan blast.
Six persons were killed and over 89 injured in the serial blasts that took place on October 27. Both the cases were transferred to the NIA for a probe. The NIA had arrested 11 accused in the Patna case and six in the Bodh Gaya case.
(With inputs from ANI)