Five accused in Bodh Gaya blasts case convicted

A Bihar court on Friday convicted all the five accused in the 2013 serial blasts that rocked Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple.

The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court headed by Judge Manoj Kumar Sinha delivered the verdict.

"The five persons -- Umer Siddiqui, Azharuddin Siddiqui, Hauser Ali, Mujibullah Ansari, Imtitaz Ansari -- were convicted by the court after the hearing was completed," NIA lawyer Lalan Kumar Sinha told reporters here.

The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on May 31.

The NIA said the blasts on July 7, 2013, were carried out with an intention to kill domestic and foreign pilgrims, especially Buddhists in order to create terror at a place of worship.

The blasts injured five people including two monks. No casualties were reported.

The Bodh Gaya temple is a Unesco World Heritage site. The Buddha attained enlightenment around 2,500 years ago.

As many as 13 bombs were planted, out of which nine or 10 exploded while three live bombs were defused.

--IANS

ik/ksk/bg