2014 Khagragarh bomb blast: Bangladeshi national sentenced to 29 years imprisonment

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Kolkata on Wednesday sentenced Kausar, a Bangladeshi national and head of proscribed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in India to 29 years in jail for his role in the 2014 bomb blast in a rented house at Khagragarh in West Bengal's Burdwan district.

The NIA in a statement said that Kausar was convicted by the court under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 125 of the IPC (waging or attempt to wage war against the government of any Asiatic power in alliance or at peace with the government of India). The court also fined him Rs 35,000.

"The investigation by NIA revealed a conspiracy by JMB to radicalise, recruit and provide training in arms and explosives to its members in India for committing terrorist acts and waging war against the democratically established Governments of India and Bangladesh. A large number of IEDs, explosives, hand grenades, training videos were recovered during the investigation of the case," NIA stated.

A total of 33 accused were charge-sheeted by NIA for the commission of various offences in this case. Out of 33 accused, 31 were arrested. Earlier, 30 accused persons were convicted and sentenced, to various terms, by the NIA Special Court, Kolkata.

The trial against the remaining two absconding charges sheeted accused persons continues, NIA said.

On October 2, 2014, at about 12:15 hrs, a powerful bomb (IED) blast had taken place at the first floor of a rented house in the busy Khagragarh locality of Burdwan District of West Bengal. IED had accidentally gone off at the time of its fabrication by the members of JMB). Two terrorists had succumbed to their injuries caused due to bomb blast.

Kausar (31), a resident of village Shekharbhita in Jamalpur district of Bangladesh, is also an accused in the 2018 Bodhgaya, Bihar blast as well.

( With inputs from ANI )