Sabarmati Express train blast: After 16 yrs in jail, AMU ex-scholar acquitted

A court in Barabanki on Saturday acquitted former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) research scholar Gulzar Ahmed Wani in the 2000 Sabarmati Express train blast case. He had been in prison for for 16 years. Another accused, Syed Abdul Mobeen — who is currently out on bail — was also acquitted. The acquittal of Wani — accused of being a Hizb-ul Mujahideen operative — came a month after the Supreme Court expressed displeasure over his 16-year imprisonment. The top court had ordered that Wani be released on bail in November if the trial court fails to complete examination of witnesses by then. The Barabanki district administration had formed a four-member committee to monitor the trial following the SC observation. Defence lawyer M S Khan said that Additional District and Sessions Judge Mahmood Ahmad Khan acquitted the two for want of evidence. When contacted, government lawyer Raj Kumar Verma said the court noted that the investigating officer had failed to collect any evidence establishing criminal conspiracy against the accused. “The court also said that incarceration of the accused restrained their physical freedom, which damaged them economical and mentally,” he added. “The court said that keeping in mind their qualifications, the state government should compensate both on the basis of average income of the people who have similar educational background. It also said the state government could claim the compensation from the concerned policemen if it finds it appropriate. Moreover, the state government was directed to take action against the policemen,” Verma said, adding that they will appeal before the high court against the judgment. Wani was brought to the court from Lucknow District Jail on Saturday. Nine passengers were killed in the blast in a general compartment of Sabarmati Express when it reached Barabanki on the night of August 14, 2000. A native of Baramulla in Kashmir, Wani was pursuing PhD in Arabic from AMU, while UP’s Sidharth Nagar resident Abdul Mobeen was doing internship after pursuing Bachelor of Unani Medicine & Surgery from AMU when they were arrested. While Mobeen was arrested from Aligarh in 2000, Wani was arrested in July 2001 from Delhi. When contacted, Wani’s father Ghulam Mohammad — a retired government employee — said he had been pursuing justice or his son for years. “After he is released from jail, I will take him back to Kashmir and try to re-establish his life,” he added.