Kolkata, Dec 3 – A court in Kolkata has handed down life sentences to five members of the Bangladeshi Islamist group Jamaat‑ul‑Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on sedition charges.
The City Sessions Court found the defendants guilty of sedition and also cited their involvement in the 2014 Khagragarh blast.
Last year, authorities detained five JMB militants—Mohammad Rubel, Jabirul Islam, Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Maulana Yusuf Sheikh, and Anwar Hossain—in the Bangaon and Basirhat areas of North 24 Parganas, as well as the adjacent state of Assam. The capture was carried out by the Kolkata Police Special Task Force, and 15 witnesses testified during the lengthy trial.
On Friday, Judge Rohan Singh delivered the verdict. Among those convicted, Anwar and Jabirul are Bangladeshi nationals, and the court also found them guilty under the Foreigners Act.
Under the sedition charge, all five men were given life imprisonment, and each was fined ₹20,000. The judge additionally imposed a three‑month jail term for failure to pay the fine.
The court handed more detailed sentences for the other offenses:
- Mohammad Rubel received five years in jail and a ₹10,000 fine for an offence under the Indian Penal Code, plus a one‑month default jail term.
- Maulana Yusuf Sheikh was sentenced to life imprisonment with a ₹50,000 fine under a separate provision, and a six‑month default jail term.
- Mohammad Shahidul Islam was given five years in prison and a ₹10,000 fine, with a one‑month default penalty.
- Anwar and Jabirul Islam were each sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and a ₹50,000 fine under the Foreigners Act, with a one‑month default jail period.
The court also levied a one‑month fine for default payment under another clause. Two of the Bangladeshis received five‑year sentences and ₹10,000 fines each, with a one‑month jail stint for non‑payment.
These men were also linked to the Khagragarh incident.
On Oct 2, 2014, a large explosion shattered a house in Khagragarh, East Burdwan district, killing Shakil Gazi on the spot. The JMB was later associated with the blast. The five militants, who were arrested almost two years after that event, were said to have played a role in the explosion.
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