Sabarmati Express blast case: Court acquits former AMU scholar

Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh: Former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) scholar and alleged Hizbul Mujahideen operative Gulzar Ahmed Wani was acquitted by a court in Barabanki district on Saturday, who was accused of orchestrating a blast in Sabarmati Express in 2000. As per defence counsel M.S. Khan, Wani and co-accused Moin were freed due to lack of evidence. "In Barabankia case was registered which was based purely on the accused statements. There were no independent witnesses from the prosecution side, neither was it established that he hatched the conspiracy in the AMU’s Habib Hall," Khan told media. Wani, a resident of Srinagar, was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell in 2001 allegedly with explosives and incriminating materials. He is currently in the Lucknow jail. The blast took place on the evening of August 14, 2000 when the train was on its way from Muzaffarpur to Ahmedabad. Nine people were killed in the blast.