Serial Blasts’case: Prosecution relies on witnesses

COIMBATORE: Prosecution counsel in the serial blasts case, who relied on evidences given by relevant witnesses before the Special Court Judge K Uthirapathy, on Friday said that on February 14, 1998, the Al-Umma member Mujibur Rehman planted bombs in a fruit-laden push cart and blasted them at Ghanirowther Street killing seven persons and injuring 19.

According to prosecution counsel T Balasundaram, accused Sharfudeen and N S Hakeem, after receiving the bomb from Osir, parked a car with the bomb near Rajarajeswari Towers injuring eight persons on February 14. The accused Noor Muhammed parked a bicycle with a box bomb in front of the BJP office in Sivananda Colony. The persons who brought the bomb in a bicycle from Ukkadam were Ismail, Osir Babu, ‘Adipatta’ Babu and Ibrahim. Two persons were killed and six injured in the explosion.

Three Al-Umma men including Chinna Abbas and Abuthahir threw a pipe bomb in Ukkadam fish market on February 18, but there were no casualties. The accused were arrested by Podanur police on February 20 and PVC pipe bombs were recovered from them.

Hakeem, who was involved in the blast at Rajarajeswari Towers, was identified by the witness during an identification parade before the judicial magistrate, but the witness failed to identify the accused before the trial court.

State Public Prosecutor from Madras High Court Raja Ilango said that the witness was unable to identify the accused, several years after in the trial court after he was identified before the judicial magistrate, was immaterial as the physical features of the accused could have changed in the passage of time.

Defence counsel P Thirumalairajan and Bhavani B Mohan intervened to state that the accused Hakeem, who was identified by a witness in the blast at Rajarajeswari Tower, was also identified by a witness in the West Sambandam Road blast.

While the prosecution counsel was arguing about the blasts at the BJP office, the defence counsel intervened to ask who parked a bicycle inside the office from where the explosives were later detected.