He took his last breath at 6:20 pm, Basha’s family said. (Representative image)
Credit: iStock Photo
Chennai: S A Basha, the mastermind of the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts and founder of Al-Umma, died on Monday due to age-related health issues. He was 84.
Basha, who planned and executed the blasts on February 14, 1998, that killed 58 people and injured 231 others, was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Coimbatore. He took his last breath at 6:20 pm, Basha’s family said.
The blasts had targeted senior BJP leader L K Advani who was to address an election rally in the industrial town, known for its communally-sensitive nature due to frequent clashes between Hindus and Muslims. The chargesheet filed by CB-CID of the Tamil Nadu police did accuse Basha and his accomplices of conspiring to kill Advani.
Basha and 16 of his aides from Al-Umma had been serving life imprisonment in connection with the Coimbatore serial blasts since February 1998. Basha was admitted to the hospital while he was on parole.