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Journalism of Courage
The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday (March 29), acquitted four men who were sentenced to death in 2019 in connection with the 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts which killed 71 people and injured 185 others.
Advocate Syed Saadat Ali, who was among the counsels for the four acquitted persons, told the media that the court has asked the state police to take action against ‘incompetent’ investigating officers.
In 2019, a special court in Jaipur had convicted the four men for the blasts, acquitting a fifth, named Shahbaz Hussain. Shahbaz’s acquittal has been upheld in the High Court. It was on May 13, 15 years ago, that a series of blasts had rocked the old walled city of Jaipur.
Nine bombs, using RDX, exploded at eight locations in Jaipur’s crowded old city between 7.15 pm and 7.45 pm The sequence of the blasts was so planned that people fleeing one blast site ran into more explosions at the others. Some explosives were tied to bicycles.
The first bomb went off around 7.15 pm at the bustling Johari Bazaar. As panic spread, more bombs exploded at the Hanuman Mandir, Hawa Mahal, Badi Chaupad, Tripolia Bazar, and Chandpole. Being a Tuesday, the Hanuman Mandir was milling with devotees.
The police also located and defused more bombs. This was the first time Jaipur, a tourist hub, saw a terror attack on its soil.
A day after the blasts, the Indian Mujahideen, then a little-known outfit, sent an email to a media house, claiming responsibility for the attack. In the email, they attached a video of a bicycle laden with explosives. Police confirmed the serial number of the bicycle matched one of those used in the blast.
Security agencies said the email was genuine, but there were concerns it could be an attempt to mislead the investigation.
The email claimed Jaipur was chosen as target to derail its tourism industry, and warned India against supporting the United States on international issues. In the aftermath of the blasts, tourism was temporarily hit in Jaipur, and there was also a cloud over foreign players participating in the then-newly-born Indian Premier League.
The first person to be arrested was Shahbaz Hussain, in August 2008. He had been accused of sending the email that claimed responsibility for the attack. He was acquitted in 2019 for want of evidence.
Between December 2008 and December 2010, Mohammad Saif, Mohammad Sarwar Azmi, Mohammad Salman and Saifurrehman were arrested. In 2019, all four were convicted and sentenced to death for their role in the bomb blasts. All four hail from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
Three more accused — Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar, and Aariz — are currently in Tihar Jail, facing trial in other blast cases. Two others accused were killed in the Batla House encounter in Delhi in 2008.
