2013 Bodh Gaya blasts: 5 Indian Mujahideen operatives held guilty

A special NIA court here today convicted five Indian Mujahideen militants in the Bodh Gaya serial blasts case of 2013. The quantum of punishment is likely to be pronounced on May 31, the next date of hearing.

Special NIA judge Manoj Kumar Sinha held all the five accused - Imtiyaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Mujib Ullah, Omair Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureishi - guilty in the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act.

On 7 July 2013, a series of ten bombs exploded in and around the Mahabodhi Temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bodh Gaya. Five people, including two Buddhist monks, were injured in the blasts. Three other devices were defused by bomb-disposal squads at a number of locations in Gaya.

On 4 November 2013, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced that the Indian Mujahideen was responsible for the bombings.

According to the NIA chargesheet, Umer Siddiqui (39), Azaharuddin Qureshi (25), Imtiyaz Ansari alias Alam (35), Haider Ali alias Abdullah (30), Mujibullah Ansari (28), Numan Ansari (30), Tariq Ansari (28) and a juvenile were made accused in the case.

Among the people arrested for the blasts was an 18-year-old, who was found guilty of planting explosives by the Juvenile Justice Board. He said the attack was to avenge the atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.