5 from Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh to hang for Gujarat blasts

AZAMGARH: Gloom enveloped poll-bound Azamgarh on Friday after five residents of this east UP district, including the terror mastermind, Abu Bashar Shaikh, were sentenced to death along with 33 other convicts by a Gujarat special court for their role in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts.
Residents of Muslim-dominated Sarai Meer area, which was dubbed a 'terror hub' after the 2008 Batla House encounter and Gujarat bombings, were too shocked to speak, but some did confirm to TOI they would move a higher court.The only silver lining for Azamgarh was the acquittal of three residents, who were accused of unleashing terror.
A Sanjarpur resident, Tariq, said, "We respect the court's verdict, but we are contemplating moving the high court." Another resident of Sarai Meer area, Mohammad Yasir, said, family members of the convicts are tight-lipped. "It is a harsh decision by a local court. We will definitely move high court," he said. The court on Friday sentenced to death 38 of 49 convicts under provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 302 IPC. Eleven others were sentenced to life.
Besides terror kingpin Abu Bashar Shaikh, others from Azamgarh sentenced to death include Mohammed Arif Mirza, Mohammed Saif Shaikh, Jishan Ahmed and Saif-ur-Rehman Ansari. Three others in the death row from other UP districts include Zia-ur-Rehman from Meerut, Mohammed Shakeel Luhar from Bulandshahr and Tanvir Pathan from Bijnor. However, three Azamgarh resident Mohammad Habib Falahi, Mohammad Saqib and Mohammad Zakir were acquitted.
On August 16, 2008, kingpin Abul Bashar, resident of Binapara in Sarai Meer area, was picked up by Gujarat Police and Intelligence Bureau along with nine other activists of banned Students Islamic Movement of India. Later, investigations also proved Bashar's involvement in bomb blasts in Lucknow, Jaipur and Delhi.
After the Batla House encounter in Delhi, Azamgarh shot to notoriety after two terror suspects, Atif Amin and Mohamed Sajid were killed and Mohd Saif, Salman and Ariz Khan were arrested. All hailed from Sanjarpur village in Sarai Meer area of the district. Later, Ariz was sentenced to death for the murder of inspector Mahesh Chandra Sharma during the Batla House encounter. Sari Meer's first brush with infamy, however, began with the rise of the Mumbai underworld don, Abu Salem.