Charges against Salem, Siddiqui framed
Mumbai:
A special court framed charges here today against extradited gangster
Abu Salem and his accomplice Riyaz Ahmed Siddiqui for their alleged complicity
in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Salem and Siddiqui, who were charged
under the Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA (P)) Act, pleaded
not guilty to the charges. Salem was charged with offences under the Explosives
Substances Act, Explosives Act, Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Arms Act,
while Siddiqui was charged with offences under the IPC. Salem is charged
with supplying arms and ammunition to co-accused Siddiqui, including film
star Sanjay Dutt, prior to the Mumbai blasts. Siddiqui is charged with
participating in the conspiracy hatched by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim
and his brother Anees to carry out bomb blasts in Mumbai. Besides, Siddiqui
is also facing of providing vehicle to Salem who had gone to Bharuch in
Gujarat along with absconding accused Aziz Bilakhia in a car to collect
arms and transport them to Mumbai. On March 14, the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) had proposed eight draft charges to be framed against
Salem and Siddiqui under TADA, Arms Act, Explosives Act and the Indian
Penal Code (IPC) in the same case. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam
had submitted the charges which seek to establish that Salem played a
part in the conspiracy hatched in Dubai for the serial blasts. The gangster
has been charged with having arranged the landing of arms and ammunition
at Dighi coast in the Raigad district before the serial bomb blasts in
the city. Salem had earlier confessed that he had delivered arms to Dutt's
residence in Bandra but later retracted his version saying he was not
aware whether the consignment taken to the actor's residence contained
arms Dutt has denied charges of possessing an assault rifle and witnesses
in this case have also turned hostile. A total of 257 people were killed
and 713 injured on March 12, 1993 in serial blasts at 13 places in the
city, including Bombay Stock Exchange, Air-India building and hotels Sea
Rock and Juhu Centaur, destroying property worth Rs 27 crore.
- Mar 18, 2006
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