Abu Salem cuts forlorn figure

Mumbai: On Friday, when a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act (Tada) court was to decide the fate of Abu Salem and six others in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, flamboyant gangster Abu Salem cut a forlorn figure as he sat in a corner of the accused box, lost in thought. Clad in a cherry-red checked half-shirt and black trousers, he looked very unlike himself.

Tada judge Govind Sanap began dictating the judgment at 12:15pm and ended it at around 1.30pm, as Salem and the other accused sat rapt in attention. After the judgment was delivered (Salem and five others, including gangster Mustafa Dossa were declared guilty of the charges), Salem seemed very tense. He was seen having a long discussion with his team of lawyers.

While reading out the judgment on him, the court observed that Salem went to Bharuch district in Gujarat and loaded a Maruti van having a Gujarat registration number, with magazines of AK-56, nine AK-56 rifles and 80-90 hand grenades, along with ammunition in the cavities of the said van.

The arms contraband was then brought to Mumbai with the help of other co-accused and kept hidden.

On the instructions of Anees Ibrahim Kaskar, one of the accused who is absconding, three AK-56 rifles, magazines, ammunitions and hand grenades were delivered to actor Sanjay Dutt.

Earlier, tight security arrangements were made in the sessions court premises at Kalaghoda. The courtroom was also packed with CBI officers, local police officers and police escort personnel. All the seven accused looked tense as the judgement was dictated.

Family members of all the seven accused were present on the fourth floor of the sessions court. They were not allowed to sit in the courtroom due to security reasons. After the judgment, the women relatives of the accused started crying.

The court has acquitted one accused Abdul Qayyum Shaikh from all the charges. Speaking to The Asian Age, Shaikh said, “I have been in custody for the last 10 years and eight months. Right from the beginning, I have been screaming myself hoarse that sabout my innocence. Had I been convicted, it would have been the most embarrassing thing to go through.”

In 2006, the Tada court had convicted 100 accused, including Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. These seven are the second set of accused who were arrested later.