The Aryavarth Express
New Delhi:
In a major development in the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terror conspiracy case in Assam, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has secured the conviction of the key accused, with a special court awarding him life imprisonment for his role in attempting to spread terror in the region.
An NIA court in Guwahati, Assam, on Tuesday convicted Md Kamruj Zaman, also known as Dr Hurairah and Kamaruddin, and sentenced him to multiple terms of simple imprisonment (SI), including the maximum punishment of life imprisonment. All sentences will run concurrently.
The court awarded life imprisonment under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. In addition, the accused was sentenced to five years’ SI each under Section 18B of the UAPA read with Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and under Section 38 of the UAPA.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 in each of the three cases, with an additional three months of simple imprisonment in case of default.
The case, registered as RC 08/2018/NIA-GUW, pertains to a conspiracy hatched by Kamruj Zaman in Jamunamukh area of Hojai district, Assam, during 2017–18. According to the NIA, the accused had planned to set up a module of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit in Assam to carry out terrorist activities, with the intention of creating fear among the public.
NIA investigations revealed that Kamruj Zaman had recruited several individuals, including Sahnawaz Alom, Saidul Alam, and Omar Faruk, as part of the conspiracy. The agency had filed a chargesheet against five accused in March 2019.
Of the five, Sahnawaz Alom, Saidul Alam, and Omar Faruk were earlier convicted after pleading guilty. Another accused, Jaynal Uddin, died due to illness during the course of the trial.
