German Bakery bomb blast: The Himayat Baig story; conviction and controversies | Pune Information

Baig’s household, residing at Kamwada in Killa Maidan in Beed district, claimed he was harmless. His father at the moment earned nearly Rs 100 per day for making jalebis at a lodge. The household stated no offence was registered towards him previously.

In December 2010, the ATS filed a chargesheet towards Baig and 6 others, together with prime Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Yasin Bhatkal, all from Karnataka, Mohsin Choudhari of Pune and LeT commanders Fayyaz Kagzi and Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal of Beed, for his or her alleged function within the German bakery terror assault.

Police stated Baig did his D.Ed in 2006 and later took a BA diploma from Poona School in Pune. ATS officers alleged that Baig had good friendship with a number of the accused individuals like Abu Jundal and Fayaz Kagzi of Beed, who have been additionally concerned within the Aurangabad RDX haul of 2006.

In line with the ATS chargesheet, Baig went to Colombo in March 2008, the place he allegedly received terror coaching from Kagzi and Abu Jundal and there, “the diabolic design to trigger additional terrorist actions was finalized.”

The ATS claimed to have gathered proof of his Colombo go to and alleged that after coming again to India from Colombo, Baig allegedly settled at a “distant” and “non descriptive place” like Udgir. The authority additionally alleged that Baig turned a key hyperlink between LeT and the Indian Mujahideen.

In line with ATS, he began the International Web cafe in Udgir and with the assistance of about 25 totally different e mail ids, he was in fixed communication with the wished accused.

The ATS identified that in Udgir, Baig allegedly hid his id as Yusuf and Hasan. He managed to accumulate two bogus election playing cards within the title of Kayyum Ayub Shaikh and Immadoddin Ahmed Shaikh and in addition acquired a bogus handicapped particular person card.

As per the ATS, Yasin Bhatkal and Mohsin Choudhary, on the directions of Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, met Baig in Udgir to finalise their plan to plant a bomb at German Bakery in January 2010. On their directions, Baig allegedly carried out a recce of the German Bakery on January 31, 2010.

The ATS alleged that Yasin and Mohsin once more held a gathering with Baig in Udgir within the first week of February to offer ending touches to the plan. The bomb was assembled by the duo with the assistance of Baig on the International Web cafe at Udgir, between 1am and 5pm on February 7.

On February 8, Baig allegedly went to Mumbai. He stayed at a lodge in Mumbai the place he recognized himself as Mohammed Yusuf Mohammed Isaque of Udgir. He then bought two haver sacks and a second cellphone from Mumbai, which have been used within the German Bakery blast on February 13, as acknowledged by ATS.

“…On February 13, Baig and Yasin carried the explosive machine in a non-public car from Udgir to Latur and in a state transport bus from Latur to Pune. The duo then hailed an autorickshaw to journey from Pulgate bus stand to Pune railway station and from there, they went to Central Mall in one other autorickshaw. Yasin planted the bomb in a haversack on the bakery round 5pm and triggered it with the assistance of a cellular triggering machine at 6.50 pm,” acknowledged the chargesheet.

On April 18, 2013, the trial courtroom in Pune awarded loss of life penalty to Baig beneath Sections 10 (b), 16 (1)(a) of Illegal Actions Prevention Act (UAPA), Sections 302 (homicide), 120 (b) (for felony conspiracy) of the IPC and Part 3 of the Explosives Substances Act.

Baig filed an attraction earlier than the Bombay Excessive Court docket (HC), the place his loss of life penalty was commuted to life imprisonment in Might 2016. The courtroom convicted Baig solely beneath the Explosives Act. The state authorities then filed an attraction within the Supreme Court docket towards the HC verdict commuting his loss of life penalty. The matter remains to be pending earlier than the Supreme Court docket.

In the meantime, prime Indian Mujahideen chief Yasin Bhatkal, wished in a number of terror circumstances within the nation, was arrested from the India – Nepal border in August 2013. The Maharashtra ATS arrested Yasin within the German Bakery blast case on March 14, 2014 and filed a chargesheet towards him earlier than a courtroom in Pune in August of the identical yr.

The trial towards Yasin is on earlier than a Pune courtroom. Investigators consider that Yasin is seen within the CCTV footage of the blast day obtained from the German bakery premises throughout the probe.

Abu Jundal, one other wished accused allegedly concerned in a number of terror strikes together with the 26/11 Mumbai assault, was deported from Saudi Arabia to India on June 25, 2012. Jundal has not been arrested within the German Bakery blast case but.

Baig’s be aware claiming innocence

Earlier than the judgment was handed, Baig made an emotional plea earlier than the trial courtroom alleging that he was framed by the ATS. He tried to learn out a 4 web page be aware he had written in Marathi.

“I’m an individual who believes in Allah and he is aware of that I’d by no means be any a part of a heinous crime equivalent to a bomb blast. I’ve full religion within the judiciary of the nation which believes within the precept that ‘100 criminals could also be let free however one harmless particular person shouldn’t be punished’…In a German Bakery blast 17 harmless individuals have been killed. Now yet another harmless particular person is being victimised. I’m the 18th sufferer of the Bakery blast. To render justice to the victims of the Blast it will be inappropriate to punish one other harmless particular person. ….I haven’t seen explosives in my whole life. I haven’t touched RDX as soon as. This can be a conspiracy towards me by ATS….,” Baig had advised the courtroom.

Baig filed an attraction earlier than the Bombay Excessive Court docket, the place his loss of life penalty was commuted to life imprisonment in Might 2016. He continues to be in jail. Final yr in September, he was launched on a parole of 45 days.

Controversies and contradictions
-An argument sparked as just some days after Baig’s arrest, the then deputy Onspector Common of Police (ATS) Ravindra Kadam advised mediapersons at Udgir that Baig was not in Pune on the day of German Bakery blast. Kadam had stated that Baig was concerned in assembling the explosives with Mohsin Choudhary and Yasin Bhatkal on the International Web xafe in Udgir, however he didn’t come to Pune on the day of blast. However Kadam later gave clarification to the media that it was a misunderstanding on his half. “I’m giving clarification that Baig was really in Pune on the day of the blast,” Kadam had stated.

-An argument erupted after the arrest of alleged Indian Mujahideen member Mohammed Qateel Siddiui in November 2011 by Delhi police. Qateel was interrogated by Delhi police and later by Bangalore police. It revealed Siddiqui carried out a reccee of the German Bakery together with Yasin Bhatkal, however didn’t point out something about Baig. The Maharashtra ATS later arrested Siddiqui for his alleged plan to bomb the Dagdusheth Ganpati temple in Pune on February 13, 2010, the identical day when the German Bakery blast came about. Nonetheless, Siddqui was murdered by Pune gangster Sharad Mohol on the Yerwada jail in June 2012.

-On September 6, 2014, the Delhi Police arrested a BPO staffer from Pune, Ajaz Shaikh alias Samar Armaan Tunde alias Sagar from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. He left house on the morning of February 15, 2014, saying he was going to Bangalore for a job interview, however later didn’t return. The Household lodged a lacking report on the Khadak police station in Pune on February 19, 2014. A Delhi police press launch claimed that Ajaz is an IM operative and the primary activity entrusted to him by the absconding IM leaders was to help Yasin Bhatkal within the execution of the German Bakery bomb blast.

In line with the Delhi Police, Ajaz was allegedly instrumental within the finalisation of the German Bakery web site thought of to be of most affect potential, consistent with the goals of the Indian Mujahideen.

A particular NIA courtroom later awarded loss of life sentence to Ajaz for his function within the twin blasts on the Dilsukh Nagar market in Hyderabad on February 21, 2013. The courtroom order acknowledged that Ajaz had allegedly delivered the explosives for bombing the German Bakery to Yasin Bhatkal. However the Maharashtra ATS didn’t title Ajaz as accused within the German bakery blast case. By the way, wished accused Mohsin Choudhary is the brother-in-law of Ajaz. In line with the household, Mohsin received married to Ajaz’s sister in 2001, however he went lacking in 2008.

Baig acquitted in Jehadi literature case

The Maharashtra ATS arrested 5 alleged members of the banned College students Islamic Motion of India (SIMI) in August 2008. About 40 books on jihad have been seized from the suspects. The ATS arrested Baig individually on this case in 2011.

The ATS had then submitted earlier than the courtroom that whereas finding out in Pune, Baig and different accused allegedly carried out the non secular ‘darj’ conferences of Muslim youths in Pune at a masjid on Solapur Highway and another locations. The authority alleged that the accused circulated jihadi literature among the many Muslim youths and pressed jihadi ideology onto them. Nonetheless, on December 2, 2016, the ATS filed an software in search of Baig’s discharge on this case. Subsequently, a courtroom discharged Baig from this case in February 2017.