The Hindu : 11 Al-Umma men acquitted in bus burning case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 27, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

11 Al-Umma men acquitted in bus burning case

By Our Staff Reporter

Coimbatore March 26. The Judge of the Fast Track Court II, R. Prem Kumar, today acquitted all 11 Al-Umma cadres including their founder-leader, S.A. Basha, in the December 7, 1992 case of bus burning at Ukkadam here.

The judge observed that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt and gave the accused the benefit of the doubt.

According to prosecution, Coimbatore City witnessed communal trouble on December 6, 1992, soon after the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. On the night of December 7, a bus was set ablaze near the TNSTC depot at Ukkadam by unidentified persons. The charges against one of the absconding accused, Mujibur Rehman, were being tried separately.

The police registered cases for unlawful assembly (147), unlawful assembly with deadly weapons (148), mischief causing damage (427), causing mischief using fire or explosive substances (435) of IPC and also under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Public Properties Damages and Loss Prevention Act. Those acquitted include Zakir Hussain, Nawab Khan, Oom Babu, Abdul Ozir and Abu alias Abudahir. Five of them are facing trial in the Coimbatore serial blasts case.

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