A special court on Wednesday sentenced Ranjan Daimari, the chairman of the extremist National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB-R), and nine others to life imprisonment for their role in the deadly October 2008 serial bomb blasts that killed 88 people and injured 540 others in Assam.
Four others were convicted under certain sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, where the maximum punishment is five to seven years.
Jail term already over
Except for Nilim Daimari, facing a separate case of illegal entry into the country, the others could walk free after paying a nominal fine as they have already spent 10 years in jail.
Almost all of them are members of the NDFB-R.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which probed the serial blasts case since December 2008, had charge-sheeted 22 persons in the case. Seven of them were declared absconders and three among them are believed to have died in encounters with the security forces.
On Monday, the court convicted 14 people and acquitted Mridul Goyari for lack of evidence. His brother Rajendra Goyari, though, was found guilty and awarded life imprisonment on Wednesday along with the NDFB-R chief and the others.
“Ranjan Daimari, George Boro, Ajay Basumatary, Khargeswar Basumatary, Rajendra Goyari and Onsai Boro, who had hatched the conspiracy to cause the serial bomb explosions with the active help and assistance of the other convicts (Lokra Basumatary, Indra Brahma, Baishagi Basumatary and Raju Sarkar), have to be condemned to death as per the rarest of rare case rule laid down by the honourable Supreme Court,” Judge Aparesh Chakraborty, hearing the CBI case at the special court, observed.
“Considering the entire facts and circumstances of the case, I sentence them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of ₹10,000 only, each, on each count for committing the offences punishable under Sections 120-B and 302 IPC, Sections 3 (b) of the Explosives Substances Act, 1908, and Sections 10 (b) (1) and 16 (1) (a) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,” the judge ruled.
The judgment did not go down well with Daimari’s supporters.
“We expected such a judgment, as we knew we would be discriminated against in Assam,” said Anjali Daimari, the extremist leader’s sister.
To go on appeal
Manas Sarania, Daimari’s counsel, said: “The special court has wrongly punished them. We will file an appeal in a higher court.”
The survivors of the victims of the serial blasts too were not satisfied with the verdict. “They should have got capital punishment for mass killing,” said Kamala Choudhury, whose auto-driver husband Rajesh Choudhury was killed in one of the blasts.
