9 chargesheeted for murder that led to Coimbatore riots

COIMBATORE, DEC 30: Ninel-Umma members have been chargesheeted for the murder of a traffic constable, Selvaraj, here on November 29, 1997...

COIMBATORE, DEC 30: Ninel-Umma members have been chargesheeted for the murder of a traffic constable, Selvaraj, here on November 29, 1997. The murder triggered four days of communal clashes and police firings in the city, which claimed 23 lives.

In the 400-page chargesheet placed before the fifth judicial magistrate today, the Tamil Nadu CB-CID, which probed the case, charged five persons with the specific offence of murder under Section 302 and three under Sec 147 to 149 for unlawful assembly.

Mohammed Ansari, general secretary of outlawed Al-Umma, was charged under Sec 109 IPC with the specific offence of making provocative speeches, which reportedly led to the murder, it said. Mohammed Shafi, Ashiq, Abbas alias Oosi Abbas, Abu Dahir alias Abu and Shahul Hamid were charged under Section 302, while Siddiq Ali (son of Al-Umma leader, S A Basha), Tada Aslam and Shamsuddin were charged for unlawful assembly, which involved in the urder.

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Some of the accused in the Selvaraj murder case like Ansari, are alsoaccused in the serial bomb blast cases. The chargesheet, encompassing 63 witnesses and 54 documents, said five types of knives had been used to commit the crime.

Ansari, who carried a reward of Rs two lakh on his head, was later apprehended. He is stated to have masterminded the serial blasts and was also accused of being the brain behind the seven member suicide squad, which planned to carry out an attack on Union Home Minister L K Advani on February 14.

Selvaraj was stabbed to death by Al-Umma members when he booked three youths for violating traffic rules on November 29 last year. As a fallout, a group went on rampage in the next couple of days, leading to communal clashes and police firings, killing 23 persons. It was from the “Kabarstan,” where the bodies of 17 Muslims, buried after being killed in the violence and firing, that some youths, allegedly belonging to Al-Umma, pledged to retaliate, culminating in the serial bomb blasts during Advani’s election campaign, claiming over 60 lives.

BarringShahul Hamid, who was killed in the December violence, all other accused are in various jails for alleged involvement in blast related cases. The chargesheet against Hamid has abated as he is no more.