By Rajiv Ranjan

The verdict came after passage of eight years

Patna:   The special court of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) today convicted nine out of ten accused in connection with the serial  blast at Patna junction and in the historical Gandhi Maidan  during Hunkar Rally  of Narendra Modi in 2013.

      The special judge Gurvinder Singh Malhotra delivered the verdict in a jam packed court room.

The quantum of punishment would be pronounced on November 01.

Those convicted include Mujeeb Ullah, Numan Ansari,Haider Ali,  Umar Siddique Ansari,  Ahmed Hussain, Azharuddin Qureshi, Imtiaz Ansari, Iftekhar Alam and Firoz Alam whereas Fakruddin was exonerated from the charges in connection with the serial blast  took place in Patna on October 27 in the year 2013 .

During the Hunkar rally of BJP on October 27, 2013 which was held in the lead-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha general elections a powerful bomb blast took place in the Sulabh shauchalay on platform number 10 of Karbigahia at Patna railway junction . This blast was followed by serial blasts in the historical Gandhi Maidan just ahead of the address of Mr Modi and several stalwarts if BJP. In this blast six people were killed and 89 got injured.

         The NIA which took up the investigation  in November 2013 had filed chargesheet against 11 people in 2014. Trial of 10 accused were held before the special Court of NIA in Patna Civil Court whereas the trial of a minor was conducted by the Juvenile Court.

     The prosecution had presented 187 witnesses during trial of the case.

In 2013 the then Prime Minister candidate of NDA Narendra Modi who was Chief Minister of Gujarat at that time had addressed the Hunkar rally.

Soon after the blast Imtiyaz Ahmad who was arrested from platform number 10 at Patna junction by the Patna Police when a bomb exploded accidently in a wash room prior to the serial blast during the Hunkar
rally  had revealed during interrogation by the NIA sleuths that terrorists belonging to Students
Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Indian Mijahidiin ( IM) had engineered the serial bomb explosion at Hunkar rally and at Bodhgaya.

A serial blast had also occurred on 7 July 2013 in and around the Mahabodhi Temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bodh Gaya of Gaya district.