Special Court convicts 21 Deendar men in serial church blasts

Bangalore, Nov 20 (UNI) A Special Court today convicted 21 persons in connection with sensational serial bomb blasts in Churches in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.

Pronouncing the judgement the judge acquited four others for lack of evidence. The quantum of punishment would be announced tomorrow.

The blasts had shook the state during May to July in the year 2000. The members of the Deendar Anjuman outfit were found guilty by the judge.

Special Court Judge Shivanagoudar had pronounced his judgement in the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail here, where the Special Court was located through videoconference due to security reasons.

The court had tried 25 persons who were accused in four cases of church blasts.

The previous S M Krishna government had referred the Church blast cased in Karantaka to CoD in 2000 the special court was set by the Karnataka government in 2005.

The accused were charged under IPC section 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and Expolsives Substances Act.

It may be recalled that the members of the Hyderabad based Deendar Anjuman had set-off serial bomb blasts in three Churches in Bangalore, Wadi and Hubli in the state during May and June 2000.

The Karnataka Police who were clueless about the culprits of the church blasts however stumbled upon the evidence against the culprits when the culprits who were on their way to place another bomb which took off in their vehicle itself accidentaly. Two suspects were killed in the blasts and another was rescued by the police with severe burn injuries.

The outlawed Deendar Anjuman group also planned to set-off bombs at the most revered Hindu temple in Tirupathi and leave behind leaflets of Bible Society of India to create an impression that blast was the handiwork of Christians.

Subsequent to the blasts the Union Government had banned the Association the decisio of which was also upheld by a Tribunal.

Syed Zia-ul-Hassan, the prime accused and Pakistani national is still at large and the Central Bureau of India (CBI) had issued a red-corner notice against him. Hassan name was also reportedly figured in the list of those most wanted by the union government which was given to Pakistan by the NDA government for repartriation.

In a seperate incidents Culprits also allegedly planted timer devices few Churches in Goa and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh also involved by Deendar Anjuman activists in May 2000.

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