Charges against Ghatkopar blast accused

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" arial="">MUMBAI: A special court on Monday framed charges against eight persons, accused of hatching a conspiracy and exploding a bomb in a BEST bus near Ghatkopar station on December 2, 2002 that killed two persons and injured 49 others.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="">The accused Dr Mohammed Abdul Mateen, Arif Hussain (alias Arif Panwala), Haroon Rashid Lohar, Rashid Ahmed Ansari, Altaf Mohammed Ismail, Mohammed Altaf Abu Hazma, Imran Rehman Khan, Tofique (aka Chotu, Rafique) are charged with offences under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) and the Explosive Substances Act, and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="">Public prosecutor Rohini Salain said the accused were blatantly promoting terrorism in the country."The accused are militants of terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Toiba, Al-Qaida and the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) organisations," Salian said.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="">Mateen has been charged under section 3 (3) of Pota as he allowed the accused to stay in his room and hatch the conspiracy; Abu Hazma has been charged for insinuating religious sentiments and communal friction through the literature of al-Qaida; Rehman Khan has been charged under section 21 of Pota and Mohammed Ismail for rendering knowledge of bombs and explosive material to the accused.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="">The court has charged Aarif Hussain (Paanwala), Haroon Rashid Lohar and Rashid Ahmed Ansari for planting the bomb in the BEST bus which killed two people and injured 49 others.The trio have been charged under section 3 (1) a of Pota, 120 B of IPC, 302, 307,324, 326 of IPC read with section 4 of the Explosives Substance Act among others.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="">The court has also charged Tofique alias Chotu, a Tamilan person for instigating Indian Muslims by announcing Jehad. Salian said Chotu has previously been accused of trying to kill a Tamilian film star Arvindon from Karnataka. Chotu has been charged under section 22 of Pota and 3 (3), 3 (5) of Pota.</span></div> </div>