3 sentenced to death in Akshardham temple attack case

AHMEDABAD: Nearly four years after terrorists laid siege on the Akdhardham temple in Gujarat, three of the accused were sentenced to death by a special POTA court here on Saturday.

A fourth accused was sentenced to life imprisonment while two others got jail sentences of 10 years and five years of rigorous imprisonment respectively.

Those sentenced to death are Chandkhan Sajjadkhan, who was living in Kashmir, and Adam Suleiman Ajmeri and Mufti Abdul Qayyum Mansuri of Ahmedabad.

Judge Sonia Gokani pronounced the judgment inside the strongly secured Sabarmati Central Jail, observing that “the accused have participated in the conspiracy voluntarily”.

The attack, described as revenge for the Godhra carnage and its aftermath in 2002, left 33 dead, including 29 devotees, two National Security Guards, a member of the state commando force and a policeman.

Of a total 34 accused in the case, the police have arrested only six. Two were shot dead in the temple complex. The remaining 26 are still at large.