The Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government has courted controversy by granting 60 days’ parole to five men serving life terms for the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts, which were also aimed at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran L K Advani.
“Granting long-term parole to those involved in the bombing incident that shattered many families is not only an insult to the memory of those who lost their lives but also a grave betrayal to the survivors. It sends the wrong message to the people of Tamil Nadu that those who wage war against society can also be shown mercy.
Before the brutality of this terrorist attack, which is considered one of the darkest chapters in the state’s history, personal reasons can never take precedence,” Thirupathy said.
On Monday, the Tamil Nadu government granted 60-days parole to five convicts on grounds of personal reasons, including health conditions, people aware of the details said. The convicts – Mohammed Ansari, Mohammed Ali, Monappa alias Mohammed Hassan, Mohammed Ajam and Nawab Khan – lodged in Coimbatore central prison have served over 20 years in prison. Earlier in December 1994 when Basha died, the state BJP had targeted the then Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led state government over his funeral procession for which around 2,000 cops were deployed.
At around 4 pm on February 14, 1998, as then BJP president L K Advani was due to address an election rally at RS Puram in Coimbatore, the city and its suburbs were rocked by 12 powerful bomb blasts that killed 47 people and injured 218.
BJP Tamil Nadu spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said granting parole to the men who helped plant the bombs that tore families apart reflects the government’s “one-sided lenient approach” towards convicted terrorists.
