logo
7/11 train bomb blasts case: Acquitted man demands re-investigation through SIT

7/11 train bomb blasts case: Acquitted man demands re-investigation through SIT

News185 days ago
Agency:
PTI
Last Updated:
Mumbai, July 22 (PTI) Abdul Wahid Shaikh, the sole person to be acquitted by the special court in 2015 in the Mumbai train bomb blasts case, on Tuesday demanded the formation of an SIT headed by a High Court judge to re-investigate the case.
Shaikh raised this demand a day after the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 accused in the case, noting that the prosecution had utterly failed to prove the case.
Nine years after he was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the special court in 2015 cleared him of all charges related to the serial blasts case. The court had sentenced five of the 12 men to death and seven to life imprisonment. One of the death row convicts died in 2021.
On Monday, the high court released all 12, noting the prosecution utterly failed to prove the case and it was 'hard to believe the accused committed the crime" Shaikh, who works as a teacher, has been vocal about the torture inflicted by the ATS on 12 persons. He had penned a book- 'Begunah Qaidi'- while he was behind bars.
The special bench of the HC also stated that the accused had been tortured to extort confessional statements.
'The government should re-investigate the case by setting up a Special Investigation Team to be headed by a High Court judge to ensure that the real perpetrators behind the train bomb blasts are arrested," Shaikh told PTI.
His other demands include an apology from the ATS for the botched investigation, Rs 19 crore in compensation to the 12 men who spent 19 years behind bars despite being innocent and government jobs and houses for them.
'Though very late, these people finally got justice. The HC verdict exposed the falsehood of ATS", he said.
Shaikh expressed sympathy and demanded justice for the family members of the victims killed and maimed in the synchronised blasts that ripped through Mumbai local trains at various locations on the western line on July 11, 2006, killing more than 180 persons and injuring several others.
He remembered the late Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinod Bhat, one of the investigating officers in the train bomb blast case.
In his book, Shaikh had claimed that Bhat was being forced to fabricate evidence and create false witnesses against the accused persons.
'Today, the soul of ACP Bhat must be happy. He ended his life in August 2006 due to pressure to frame innocent persons on the same railway track where bomb blasts had occurred," he claimed, adding that the suicide was recorded as accidental death at Dadar railway police station. PTI DC NSK
view comments
First Published:
July 22, 2025, 16:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

YSRCP accuses Andhra govt of large-scale land irregularities in Vizag
YSRCP accuses Andhra govt of large-scale land irregularities in Vizag

News18

time11 minutes ago

  • News18

YSRCP accuses Andhra govt of large-scale land irregularities in Vizag

Visakhapatnam, Jul 27 (PTI) YSRCP leader and former minister Gudivada Amarnath on Sunday accused the TDP-led coalition government of 'large-scale land irregularities" and said it was behaving like a 'real estate agency" while allotting public lands to associates, firms and realtors at 'unjustifiably" low prices here. He alleged that the state government diverted prime land to newly incorporated firms with no credentials, undermining previous IT development plans initiated under the YSRCP regime. 'The TDP-led coalition government has committed massive irregularities in land allocations in Visakhapatnam since the government was formed," Amarnath said while addressing a press conference. He alleged that private companies received valuable land at rates as low as Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore per acre, calling it a 'quid pro quo'. He noted the land deals had created no IT jobs for Andhra's youth. The former minister further alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh were directly overseeing these land deals, and that public land was being 'looted" to benefit their associates. The YSRCP leader linked Naidu's frequent visits to Singapore to alleged corruption and old ties with tainted individuals there. Amarnath said that the YSRCP would launch a mass movement against the land scam and hold the Naidu-led coalition government accountable for allegedly diverting public wealth for private gains. Meanwhile, there was no immediate reaction from the ruling TDP. PTI MS GDK KH view comments First Published: July 27, 2025, 23:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Czech Republic president meets Dalai Lama in Ladakh
Czech Republic president meets Dalai Lama in Ladakh

News18

time11 minutes ago

  • News18

Czech Republic president meets Dalai Lama in Ladakh

Leh, Jul 27 (PTI) Czech Republic president Petr Pavel on Sunday met Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in Ladakh, an official said. This is for the first time that a sitting head of a state has visited India to meet his holiness Dalai Lama, who had reached Leh on July 12 on a month-long tour of the Union Territory. 'President Petr Pavel of the Czech Republic met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama this morning in Leh, Ladakh, India. During the meeting, the President extended his warm congratulations to His Holiness on the occasion of his 90th birthday," the office of the spiritual leader posted on X. The official handle run by the name of Dalai Lama also shared the picture of the meeting late tonight. PTI TAS NB NB Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Woman raped, forced to convert; 5 held
Woman raped, forced to convert; 5 held

Time of India

time16 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Woman raped, forced to convert; 5 held

Bijnor: Five people were arrested for allegedly raping and forcibly trying to convert a 27-year-old woman in Bijnor district, police said on Sunday. The woman also alleged that "the accused were planning to sell her kidney for Rs 50 lakh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now " In her police complaint, the survivor said she worked at a shop in an area under Nangalsoti police station. Her husband abandoned her about a year ago as he did not like her working till late in the evening, and this led to frequent quarrels between them. Taking advantage of her vulnerable situation, the shop owner offered to arrange accommodation for her at his own expense, and later exploited her sexually. Between Feb and March this year, he and his associates allegedly put pressure on her to embrace Islam. In her police complaint, the survivor said that on Feb 25, the shop owner, accompanied by his wife, brother-in-law and a few others, arrived at her residence and administered some kind of intoxicants and forcibly tried to convert her. The survivor said the main accused also took her to various hospitals in Rishikesh and Delhi, where he contacted some agents and planned to sell her kidney for Rs 50 lakh. When she resisted, she and her five-year-old son was held hostage at a house from Feb through March. She somehow managed to escape from the house in April and remained silent, as the perpetrators threatened to kill her son. On Saturday, the woman gathered the courage to approach police, following which an FIR was filed. Bijnor SP (city) Sanjeev Vajpayee said, "We have registered a case against nine people under BNS sections 64 (rape), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 109(1) (abetment), 115(2) (kidnapping/attempt to murder), 253 (harbouring offender), and 3(5) (related to grievous offences), as well as sections 3(1) and 5(1) of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act." "Charges related to illegal organ trade have also been added. Five of the accused, including the main conspirator, have been arrested. Efforts are on to nab the remaining four. A detailed investigation is underway," the SP said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store