Varanasi blast: Six accused chargesheeted

Varanasi, July 19 (UNI) A Chargesheet has been filed in a local court against six accused in the March seven blast at the Sankatmochan temple of this religious city.

The chargesheet was filed yesterday by police against the blast mastermind Waliullah -- presently in judicial custody -- Mustaqim, Bashir, Zakaria and Mohd Shamim, all of whom were still at large.

The sixth accused in the case Mohd. Zubair was killed by police on the outskirts of Lucknow on March eight.

The chargesheet was filed in two cases -- Sankatmochan blast and recovery of pressure cooker explosive in Dwashashamedh area--under sections 302, 307, 324, 326 of IPC and sections 3, 4 and 5 of Explosives Substance Act.

The police also submitted to the court a list of 45 and 18 witnesses in the Sankatmochan blast and pressure cooker explosive recovery case respectively. The investigations in the other case pertaining to blast at the Varanasi railway station were underway.

The mastermind of the twin blast Waliullah was arrested from Gosaiganj area of Uttar Pradesh capital on April four, while the state government on July three permitted that he be tried for sedition.

As many as 18 people were killed and over 100 others wounded in the two blasts that rocked the 16th century temple and the Varanasi railway station within a span of 15 minutes on March seven.

UNI ARS MB PK RK1440