Burdwan blast: 4 JMB members jailed for 7 years

Four members of the banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) have been sentenced by a special court in Kolkata to seven-year imprisonment over the 2014 bomb blast in West Bengal's Burdwan district.

The verdict was given on September 8, reports our New Delhi correspondent quoting a statement issued yesterday by India's anti-terror probe body National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The four JMB members -- Ziaul Hoque, Motiur Rahman alias Bhasa, Md Yusuf alias Bakkar alias Yusuf Sk and Jahirul Sheikh, were found guilty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of Indian Penal Code, the statement said.

Of them, Jahirul Sheikh was found guilty also under the Explosive Substance Act.

On October 2, 2014, during the Durga Puja celebrations, an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion on the first floor of a rented house in Khagragarh in Burdwan town, about 100 km from Kolkata, killed two persons, exposing a network of extremist elements running an arms and explosives factory in West Bengal.

The IED had accidentally gone off at the time of its making, NIA said.

The rented house was occupied by the members of JMB for bomb making.

The case was initially registered by West Bengal police, which was subsequently taken over by NIA for investigation.

NIA said its investigation into the Burdwan blast case revealed a conspiracy by JMB to radicalise, recruit and provide training in arms and explosives to its members in India as well as to commit terrorist acts and wage war against the democratically established governments of India and Bangladesh.

A large number of IEDs, explosives, hand grenades and training videos were recovered during the investigation of the case.

A total of 33 accused were charge sheeted for commission of various offences in this case, out of which 31 could be arrested.

With the recent court ruling, a total 28 people have been sentenced in connection with the case.

On August 30 last year, 19 persons were sentenced and another five people were sentenced on November 15 last year for various terms by the special court in connection with the case.

The trial against the remaining three arrested and two absconding charge-sheeted accused persons will continue, the NIA statement added.