NIA court convicts two more accused in Burdwan blast case, awards 7-year jail term

File Photo

Kolkata: A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Kolkata on Tuesday (September 15, 2020) convicted two more accused persons in the Burdwan blast case of 2014 and sentenced them to seven years of imprisonment.

Mustafizzur Rehman (aka Saqib and Tuhin) who was arrested on December 26 in 2018 and Kadar Kazi (aka Kador) who was arrested on January 28, 2019, were also fined Rs. 5,000. 

While Rehman is convicted under the Sections 120B, 125, of the IPC and Sections 18, 18A, 18B, 19 and 20 of the UA (P) Act, Kazi was found guilty under Sections 120B and 125 of the IPC and Sections 18 and 20 of the UA (P) Act.

The case pertains to a powerful bomb (IED) blast that took place on the first floor of a house in the busy Khagragarh locality of Burdwan district of West Bengal on October 2, 2014. 

The IED had gone off accidentally at the time of its fabrication by the members of the banned terrorist organization - Jamat-ul-Mujahideen of Bangladesh (JMB). The members of JMB had taken that house on rent for the nefarious activity of bomb-making. Two accused persons succumbed to their injuries caused in the bomb-blast and one accused survived with grievous injuries.  

The case was initially registered by the West Bengal Police and was subsequently taken over by the NIA for investigation.

The investigation by NIA revealed a conspiracy by JMB to radicalize, recruit and provide training in arms and explosives to its members in India to commit terrorist acts and wage war against the democratically established Governments of India and Bangladesh. 

A large number of IEDs, explosives, hand grenades and training videos were reportedly recovered during the investigation.

A total of 33 accused were charge-sheeted in the case, of whom 31 were arrested.  

28 accused have already been convicted and sentenced for various terms by the NIA Court.

"The trial against remaining one arrested and two absconding charge-sheeted accused will continue," said the NIA.