LUCKNOW: The special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Lucknow, on Thursday, pronounced a death sentence to two terror accused Atif Muzaffar (29) and Mohammed Faisal Khan (30) associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The two were held guilty of killing a retired school principal Ram Babu Shukla in fulfilment and furtherance of the ISIS agenda by spreading fear and terror among the people.
The special court also slapped a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on both the accused. The verdict was delivered by Special Judge NIA Court Dinesh Kumar Mishra. The two accused were booked and tried under sections of IPC 302 (murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), along with sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Both Atif and Faisal were also named in the terror attack case related to the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train on March 7, 2017, leaving scores of passengers on board injured.
The two accused were caught by the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) during an encounter in the old Lucknow city area in March 2017 during which another accomplice Saifullah was gunned down. Besides Atif Muzaffar and Mohammad Faisal Khan, the ATS had also arrested Ghaus Mohammad Khan, Azhar, Mohammad Danish, Sayyad Mir, Hussain and Asif Iqbal.
However, the death sentence to Atif Muzaffar and Mohammad Faisal Khan has been given in connection with the murder of Ram Babu Shukla, a retired principal of a school in Kanpur.
Shukla had retired as principal of Swami Atmaprakash Brahmchari Junior High School in Kanpur. On October 24, 2016, he was shot dead by the two accused near village Pyondi in Kanpur while he was returning home on a bicycle. The case was handed over to the NIA in November, 2017. Atif worked at a mobile repair store while Faisal was working at a general store.
After the investigations, the NIA revealed that the accused were radicalised by the ISIS ideology and were out to kill people whom they believed to be disbelievers of Islam (Qafirs). The NIA had filed a chargesheet against the two accused on July 12, 2018 stating that the accused attacked Shukla in a ‘lone wolf’ style.
The NIA also revealed that the two had planned to bomb PM Modi’s Dussehra rally in Lucknow in 2016.
The NIA had stated in the chargesheet that both Atif and Faisal had visited West Bengal and Kerala to procure arms for training and bomb making. The two had also tried to visit Syria via Pakistan.