Hizbul Mujahideen man gets life term for sedition

The first additional metropolitan sessions judge pronounced the quantum of sentence for the accused who were held guilty Thursday.

Mujeeb, the self-styled commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, and his associates were  planning to carry out subversive activities in Hyderabad with the arms and ammunition smuggled from Kashmir, the prosecution said.

In December 2005, Rajasthan police had seized a cache of arms including Kalashnikov assault rifles, 229 cartridges and 15 detonators hidden in a truck carrying marble to Hyderabad.

Mujeeb, a resident of Hyderabad and a life convict in the killing of a police officer, pleaded not guilty.

All the accused including Mujeeb's female companion Zohra Nishat and  brother-in-law Jahangir Khan were found guilty under sections 122 and 124 (A) of the Indian Penal Code and 23 (ii) of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Considered to be a close follower of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, Mujeeb was also convicted under section 6 of the Indian Wireless Telegraph Act for possessing a satellite phone, which he allegedly received from the Hizbul Mujahideen leader.

The court also imposed Rs.10,000 fine on Mujeeb alias Ahmed Bhai.
Truck driver Shabbir Ahmed, cleaner Ravindera Kumar, Mohammed Yasin and Shaikh Awadh were the other accused sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. The court imposed a fine of Rs.2,000 on each of the six accused.
Seven accused including Mujeeb were arrested in the case while nine others still remained at large. The trial began in 2007.

Mujeeb, known as Amer-e-Deccan among Hizbul Mujahideen circles, was earlier sentenced to life imprisonment for gunning down additional superintendent of police Krishna Prasad here in 1992. The Andhra Pradesh government released him on remission on Independence Day in 2004.
After release from prison, he allegedly reactivated his links with Hizbul Mujahideen  and other terror groups. Police claimed that he also produced several CDs in which he appealed for funds for his terror operations.