Uttar Pradesh: 12 sentenced to life in 1999 Mubarakpur communal killing case

Azamgarh: A court here has sentenced 12 people to life imprisonment in a 27-year-old murder case linked to Shia-Sunni riots in Mubarakpur in the district, Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.

District and Sessions Judge Jai Prakash Pandey pronounced the sentence on Tuesday after completing the hearing. The court had convicted all 12 accused on February 13. Each of the convicts has also been fined Rs 66,500.

According to the prosecution, complainant Nasir Hussain had lodged an FIR at Mubarakpur police station on April 30, 1999, stating that his uncle, Ali Akbar, a resident of Pura Khwaja, had been missing since April 27, 1999.

Akbar's son, Jaigam, had reported his disappearance at the police station on April 28.

Ali Akbar's beheaded body was recovered from Raja Bhat's pond on April 30, 1999. During investigation, it emerged that he was allegedly assaulted and killed by members of the Sunni community while returning from a Muharram procession.

Police filed a chargesheet against Hussain Ahmad of Hyderabad; Mohammad Ayub Faizi, Haji Mohammad Suleman, Faheem Akhtar, Asrar Ahmad and Mohammad Yaqub, all residents of Dulhanpura; Ali Zaheer, Najibullah and Irshad of Purasofi; Hamidullah alias Jheenak; Mohammad Asad; Haji Abdul Khaliq; Afzal; Alauddin; Dilshad; and Wasim of Hyderabad.

During the trial, four of the accused -- Haji Mohammad Suleman, Najibullah, Hamidullah alias Jheenak and Haji Abdul Khaliq -- died.

On behalf of the prosecution, District Government Counsel (Criminal) Priyadarshi Piyush Tripathi and Additional District Government Counsel Deepak Kumar Mishra examined nine witnesses.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court sentenced Hussain Ahmad, Mohammad Ayub Faizi, Faheem Akhtar, Asrar Ahmad, Mohammad Yaqub, Ali Zaheer, Irshad, Mohammad Asad, Afzal, Alauddin, Dilshad and Wasim to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 66,500 on each of them, Tripathi added.