Varanasi Blasts: After Death Penalty Announcement, Terrorist Waliullah's Village Wears Deserted Look

A day after the district court of Ghaziabad awarded death sentence to convict Waliullah Khan in the 2006 serial bomb blasts case in Varanasi, his native village wore a deserted look. Khan is a resident of Sarai Lily alias Khojapur village of Phulpur tehsil of Prayagraj.

On March 7, 2006, the first blast took place inside the Sankat Mochan temple and another bomb exploded outside the first-class retiring room at Varanasi cantonment railway station. A cooker bomb was also found near the railings of a railway crossing in Dashashwamedh Police Station the same day. Khan was acquitted in the cooker bomb case owing to inadequate evidence, while he was convicted in the other two.

The trial of the sedition case against Khan is also going on in the fast track court of Prayagraj and has reached the final stage. The next hearing is on June 27.

Khan was arrested on April 18, 2001 on charges of sedition based on a case registered against him in Phulpur police station. He was accused of waging a war against the Indian government, of doing jihad and collecting literature in this regard.

Khan and his brothers — Ubaid Ullah, Wasi Ullah and Uzair Alam — were accused in the case. Another accused Mustaqeem has not been arrested so far, while Ubaid Ullah, Wasi Ullah and Uzair Alam are out on bail.

According to District Government Counsel (Criminal) Gulab Chandra Agrahari, a total of 23 witnesses have been presented by the prosecution. While seven witnesses have been presented on behalf of the defence, a witness has also been produced on behalf of Khan. According to him, the hearing of the case is being done by fast-track court first judge Nisha Jha. Khan can be sentenced to life imprisonment in this case.

According to Gulab Chandra Agrahari, Khan was conspiring to avenge the Babri Masjid demolition. His ties with Pakistan’s terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed were also unearthed, besides being related to Pakistani terrorists Salim Sajjad and Pappu, who were killed in Lucknow in an encounter with the police.

He has been presented several times in the district court of Prayagraj from Ghaziabad court.

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