The 2008 Ahmedabad bombings were a series of 21 bomb blasts that hit Gujarat's commercial hub and traders' paradise Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, within 70 minutes, killing 56 people, and injuring over 200.
New Delhi: A Special Court in Ahmedabad, on Friday (February 18), ordered a death sentence to 38 convicts for the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts. The court convicted 49 Muslims in total, and the rest 11 have been given life imprisonment.
Special Judge A R Patel awarded a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to those who had died in the blasts and a compensation of Rs 50,000 for victims with serious injuries, and Rs 25,000 for those with minor ones.
The convicts have been found guilty on charges of murder, sedition, waging war against the state and various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
One of the convicts, Usman, the only one convicted under the Arms Act and among those sentenced to death, is sentenced to a year of imprisonment for conviction. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 2.85 lakh on each of the 48 convicts.
On February 8, the Special Judge had declared 49 of the total 78 accused as guilty under various offences of the Indian Penal Code, including for murder, sedition and waging war against the state.
All 49 of the victims have also been found guilty under various provisions for offences under the UAPA, Explosive Substances Act.
A different modus operandi was applied, and the bombs were planted in tiffin boxes and bicycles. In 2008, the country's law and order stood threatened by Islamic militants and especially Indian Mujahideen in more ways than one.
Serial bomb blasts were carried out in cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad during the tenure of Dr Manmohan Singh as the country's Prime Minister and Shivraj Patil (A chosen man for the job by Sonia Gandhi) as the Union Home Minister. Of course, Patil resigned after 26/11 in Mumbai.
The 2008 Ahmedabad bombings were a series of 21 bomb blasts that hit Gujarat's commercial hub and traders' paradise Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, within 70 minutes. Fifty-six people were killed, and over 200 people were injured.
Several TV channels and media organisations reportedly received e-mails from the terror outfit called the Indian Mujahideen, claiming responsibility for the terror attacks. However, a militant group, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, also claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The Gujarat police initially arrested the suspected mastermind, Mufti Abu Bashir, along with nine others, in connection to the bombings in Ahmedabad. These bombings in Ahmedabad occurred a day after the Bangalore blasts.
