12 convicted, 1 acquitted in 7/11 Mumbai train blasts

Twelve people were convicted and one acquitted on Friday by a special court in Mumbay in the 7/11 serial bombings that ripped through the trains India’s commercial city and left 189 dead. "The long-awaited decision on the July 11, 2006, serial blasts has been given out. Twelve of the 13 accused have been convicted," Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare told the media after the verdict was pronounced. He said one person has been acquitted, while two of the charges on the 12 convicted attracts death penalty. He said arguments on the quantum of sentence will be taken up on Monday. "I think this is justice for all the people who died and those who were injured," said KP Raghuvanshi, former ATS chief, who was part of the blasts probe. The special MCOCA Court delivered its verdict on Friday (September), nine years after RDX bombs blew up seven peak hour suburban trains on the Western Railway in 11 minutes and killed 189 commuters. The trial concluded on August 19, 2014, and Special Judge YD Shinde pronounced his judgment. Besides claiming 189 lives, the serial blasts left 817 injured on the evening of July 11, 2006, from 6:23pm. onwards - the peak hour when the suburban trains are choked with commuters going home. The 7 bombs went off in trains at Matunga Road, Mahim, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Mira Road stations spanning Mumbai and Thane districts. Police had said that highly sophisticated explosives ripped through mainly the first class compartments of the 7 local trains, all headed in the northern direction. While two blasts occurred when the crowded trains neared Borivali and Mahim stations, the others took place when they were leaving the stations or while running to their destinations. The explosions carried out by around 15-20 kg of RDX, were so powerful that they blew off the double-layered steel roofs and walls of the 7 train compartments. During the marathon trial, the prosecution produced 188 witnesses, including many commuters, survivours, doctors, police personnel and others, with their deposition running into nearly 5,500 pages. The lengthy trial saw the deposition by around 190 prosecution witnesses, among whom were commuters who were on the ill-fated trains, according to bdnews24.com.
- biplab