Kolkata, Feb 16: A special NIA court in Kolkata has sentenced two individuals to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for their roles in the 2021 Jaggadal bomb blast case in West Bengal, according to an official announcement on Sunday.
The court imposed a sentence of 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment on Chand, also known as Arif Akhtar, and Rahul Pasi, along with a fine of Rs 5,000 for each offender, as stated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The men, along with one juvenile, are accused of throwing three bombs in rapid succession at the entrance next to former MP Arjun Singh’s office-cum-residence, Majdoor Bhawan, in Jaggadal, North 24 Parganas district, on September 8, 2021.
Akhtar and the juvenile were captured by local police, while the NIA arrested Pasi later after taking over the investigation on September 14, 2021.
The agency filed a chargesheet against the accused in December 2021. While Akhtar and Pasi were found guilty and sentenced by the NIA special court on Saturday, the juvenile remains in parental custody, according to the statement.
In a separate case, the NIA court on Saturday also convicted a man in the 2019 Lokepur bomb blast case, sentencing him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Bablu Mondal, who surrendered to the court in June 2022, was additionally fined Rs 10,000.
The explosion occurred at Mondal’s residence, leading to the arrest of his two sons, Niranjan Mondal and Mrityunjay Mondal, by Lokepur police. Both of his sons fled after being released on bail, while Mondal surrendered later.
The investigation revealed that the accused’s home was used for the manufacturing and storage of crude bombs, as per the NIA’s statement.
The NIA took control of the case and re-registered it in September 2020, filing charges against all three suspects on September 5, 2022. (Agencies)
