Six of the eight accused in the Rampur terror attack case of January 2008 were held guilty by a court in Rampur on Friday. The quantum of punishment will be announced on Saturday.
Public prosecutor Sardar Dalvinder Singh said Mohammed Sharif, Jang Bahadur, Imran, Mohammed Farooq and Sabauddin have been found directly involved in the attack. Fahim Ansari was acquitted of the charge of waging a war against the state (Section 121) but held guilty for holding fake passports and illegal weapons.
The acquitted are Gulab Khan and Kausar Farooqi. Khan hails from Baheri village of Bareilly, while Farooqi is a resident of Kunda in Pratapgarh.
Imran and Mohd. Farooq belong to Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Sabauddin is from Madhubani (Bihar), Jang Bahadur from Moradabad, Mohd Sharif from Khajuria village in Rampur and Fahim Ansari from Goregaon, Mumbai.
Defence lawyer M.S. Khan said he was relieved that two accused have been acquitted. “Ansari has also been acquitted of the serious charge. We will appeal against the verdict in the High Court because the prosecution has not been able to establish their link with each other or with the Lashkar-e-Toiba,” he told The Hindu.
In a pre-dawn attack on January 1, 2008, a CRPF group camp in Rampur was attacked by terrorists, claiming the lives of seven jawans and a rickshaw-puller. Eight persons, including three CRPF constables, were injured in the attack.
Earlier, the accused, lodged in the Bareilly and Lucknow jails, were brought to Rampur under a strong security cover on Friday.
