VARANASI: A Jaunpur
court
is likely to pronounce the quantum of punishment on Wednesday for two Bangladeshi operatives of Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) who have been convicted for the bomb
blast
in Shramjeevi Express in December 2005.
The court had convicted Hilal alias Hilaluddin and Nafikul Biswas on December 22 for their involvement in the blast in Delhi-bound Shramjeevi Express near Harpalganj crossing in Jaunpur district on July 28, 2005, in which 14 passengers were killed and 62 injured.
DGC (criminal) Satish Kumar Pandey said the court heard arguments of prosecution and defence on Tuesday and reserved its order.
The duo have been convicted under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 149 (offence committed by the members of unlawful assembly) of IPC and 3 of Explosives Act and 14 of Foreigners Act.
Bangladeshi terrorist Roni alias Alamgir, who planted a bomb in the train, was sentenced to death on July 30, 2016, and conspirator Obaidur Rahman was sentenced to death by an additional sessions court in August 2016. Their appeal in the high court is pending. Two more accused, Ghulam Razdani alias Yahya and Sayeed, died during the trial. All of them are Bangladeshi nationals having links with terror outfit HuJI.
The bomb, using military grade explosive RDX, had been kept in the compartment's toilet. Eyewitnesses had reported that two young men had boarded the train at Jaunpur railway station with a white suitcase. Soon after, both of them jumped off the moving train, leaving their suitcase in the train. A few minutes later, the explosion shook the coach.
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