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Japan | Hakamada found religion, but then felt under attack by ‘the devil’

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Editor's note: This is the last in a four-part series on letters that Iwao Hakamada wrote while on death row. About a decade after cursing God, Iwao Hakamada was baptized Catholic at the Tokyo Detention House on Dec. 24, 1984. “Since I have been given the Christian name Paul, I am keenly feeling that I should be aware of the greatness of Paul.” (June 1985)

Gujarat High Court commutes death penalty of 11 convicts to life imprisonment

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The Gujarat High Court today pronounced the verdict in 2002 Godhra train carnage.

The High Court commuted the death penalty of 11 convicts to life imprisonment. The court sustained the acquittal of 31 accused and also sustained the life term of 20 convicts.

While awarding compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victims, which is over and above already paid under various schemes, the court said that the state 'failed to maintain law and order.'

In the horrific incident, 59 passengers were charred to death at the Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002.

According to the prosecution, the Sabarmati Express was late and as per pre-planned conspiracy, the chain was pulled just outside the railway station and mob armed with lethal weapon and carrying petrol attacked the train.

They pelted stone and locked the doors of the S6 coach from outside. They poured petrol inside the coach and set it on fire.

59 passengers in the coach died after suffering severe burn injuries and suffocation.

According to police investigation, Aman Guest house owner Abdul Razak Kurkur had procured 60 litre patrol from a fuel pump on February 26. He had hatched the conspiracy of attacking the Sabarmati Express train at his guest house along with Bilal Hussain Kalota.

The other accused according to the police investigation was Maulan Umarji. The probe said that on the morning of February 27, he had appealed people from minority community using the mosque loud speaker to gather and rush to railway station.

Interestingly, the trial court has acquitted him. After acquittal he died due to old age.

However, Kurkur and Kalota with 29 others were convicted for hatching conspiracy and for murder.

The special court's additional sessions judge PR Patel while accepting prosecution theory of pre-planned, had passed verdict running in 850 pages in 2011.

The first part of judgment of conviction was announced on February 22 and quantum of punishment on February 25.

Source: dnaindia.com, October 9, 2017


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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
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