Indian Mujahideen militants get lifer in 2013 Bodhgaya serial blasts case

A special NIA Court on Friday sentenced all accused in 2013 Bodhgaya serial blasts case to life imprisonment. The court convicted five Indian Mujahideen militants in the case last week.

Special Public Prosecutor Lalan Kumar Sinha had sought life imprisonment for all five convicts - Imtiyaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Mujib Ullah, Omair Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureishi.

He had argued that the blasts triggered at a world-renowned pilgrim spot could have caused "heavy casualties, leading to national and international ramifications". No deaths were recorded in the blasts, though some people, including Buddhist monks, had sustained injuries in the series of explosions that had rocked Bodh Gaya on 7 July, 2013.

The temple itself and the Bodhi Tree (where Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment) were undamaged. However, the Archaeological Survey of India confirmed damage to new structures in the temple complex.

International figures, including the Dalai Lama, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Myanmar Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, condemned the attacks. On 4 November 2013, the National Investigation Agency announced that the Indian Mujahideen was responsible for the bombings.

More details awaited.

(With PTI inputs)