Ahmedabad: Six people were sentenced to five years in jail by an anti-terrorist court here for an attempt to kill Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Jaideep Patel in 2002.
One accused was acquitted by the Pota (Prevention of Terrorism Act) court on Friday. The main conspirator, however, is still absconding.
Special Pota court judge N.A. Acharya also directed the convicts to pay Rs5,000 (Dh455) each and in case of default to undergo a one- year additional jail term.
The court convicted seven people - Shakil Ansari, Junaid Saiyed, Zahid Khan, Rauf Ansari, Rafiq Ansari, Sada Khan and Harris Ansari. Naushad Pathan was acquitted while the main conspirator Abu Talha is absconding.
According to the public prosecutor, the conspiracy was masterminded in 2003 by Abdul Rehman, Khalid alias Abu Talha, to avenge post-Godhra riots against Muslims of Gujarat.
Talha contacted Zahid Khan, a builder-contractor, in Juhapura area of the city. Khan got his two friends Harris Ansari and Junaid Ansari, residents of Juhapura, to join them in the conspiracy.
Tip off
The two riding a motorcycle accosted Patel, VHP Gujarat joint general secretary, in the Naroda area on December 3, 2002. The two managed to corner Patel as his car was slowing near a speed-breaker and fired, hitting him just below his left eye and grievously wounding him.
Patel was rushed to a nearby hospital and after a surgery was declared out of danger. A few days later another surgery was performed. Patel, a close associate of VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia, is one of the accused in the February 28 Naroda-Patiya massacre in which over 80 people, mostly labourers, were killed.
Apart from Patel the conspirators had Babu Bajrangi, who was then a Bajrang Dal activist, in their sights for his role in the Naroda-Patiya massacre.
Others like BJP MLA from Naroda Maya Kodnani, former state home minister Goverdhan Zadafiya and the then additional commissioner of police D.G. Vanzara too were on the hit list.
On December 30, 2002, on a tip off, the crime branch arrested Khan and Harris near Galaxy Cinema in Naroda. Interestingly the police first claimed that the accused were arrested by the prohibition department for illegal sale and purchase of liquor. Later police said that after two 9mm pistols and 36 cartridges were recovered from the two it had "definite proof" of their involvement in Patel's shooting.
Special public prosecutor H.M. Dhruv and Sudhir Brahmbhatt contended that all the accused supported terror strikes in the state. Four weapons were found with them and no leniency should be shown, the two had argued.
