The BJP on Monday demanded that the Tamil Nadu government revoke the 60-day parole granted to five life convicts in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case, accusing it of showing “selective softness towards convicted terrorists”.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said personal reasons could not outweigh the gravity of the attack, which killed 58 people and injured more than 250 on February 14, 1998.
“Personal grounds cannot override the gravity of a terror attack that remains one of the darkest chapters in the state's history. The Tamil Nadu BJP condemns in the strongest terms the TVK government's decision to grant 60 days' parole to five life convicts of the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts,” he wrote on X.
The five convicts are Mohammed Ansari, Mohammed Ali, Monappa alias Mohammed Hassan, Mohammed Ajam and Nawab Khan.
They were granted parole following a petition citing personal reasons and health conditions, after spending more than 25 years in prison.
An official said they had been granted parole earlier, but it was briefly revoked during the Assembly elections.
The coordinated blasts were carried out by the banned Al-Umma organisation ahead of an election rally that BJP leader LK Advani was scheduled to address. In 2007, a special court convicted 158 people in the case, awarding life sentences to 43, including Al-Umma founder SA Basha.
Thirupathy said the parole decision insulted the victims and their families. He also cited the Supreme Court’s description of the crime as “atrocious” while refusing bail to convicts in the case.
“The memory of the 58 victims and the security of the public demand that this parole be revoked immediately,” he said, demanding that no further concessions be extended to the Al-Umma convicts.
TVK legislator VMS Mustafa, meanwhile, thanked Chief Minister Vijay for ordering their parole.
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