On Thursday (29th February), a TADA (Terrorist & Anti-disruptive Activities Act) court in Ajmer acquitted Abdul Karim Tunda in the 1993 train blast case. TADA court has, however, held the other two accused Irfan and Hamiduddin guilty. The court sentenced both of them to life imprisonment. The court set Abdul Karim Tunda free of all charges citing a lack of evidence.
These blasts took place at various places in India in 1993 when it marked the first anniversary of the demolition of the disputed Babri structure at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. Tunda, a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim, and two others, faced charges for orchestrating the blasts.
The TADA court had accused Abdul Karim Tunda, aged 81, and a prominent associate of Dawood Ibrahim, along with two others, Irfan alias Pappu and Hamiruddin, on 30th September 2021. The blasts took place in Lucknow, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Surat, and Mumbai on the intervening night of 5th and 6th December 1993.
The blasts on three New Delhi and Howrah bound Rajdhani Express trains, Surat-Baroda Flying Queen Express, and Hyderabad-New Delhi AP Express killed two people and wounded at least 22 others. Earlier, on 23rd February, the court had reserved its decision after hearing both sides in this case.
A total of 17 accused were arrested in the case. Abdul Karim Tunda was arrested from the Nepal border in 2013. A case was registered against all the accused under the TADA Act, Explosive Substances Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the Indian Railways Act, and various other sections of the IPC. More than 150 people have testified in the case so far.
Abdul Karim Tunda is a resident of Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh. He used to work as a carpenter in Pilkhuwa. He is allegedly associated with the dreaded terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. It is also said that he has received training from Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.