Life or death? Sentencing in Batla House encounter today

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday will pronounce the sentence in 2008 Batla House shootout case in which the lone accused and Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Shahzad Ahmad was convicted. Additional Sessions Judge Rajender Kumar Shastri, who convicted Ahmad for killing Delhi Police Special Cell Inspector MC Sharma during the Batla House shootout, will pronounce the quantum of sentence. [caption id=“attachment_992667” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo. PTI[/caption] Ahmad, from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, was said to be present in the flat in Jamia Nagar where the shootout took place. The court held him guilty of assaulting police officials and obstructing them from doing their duty. On 25 July, Ahmad was also convicted of offences including murder, attempt to murder which carry a death penalty as the maximum sentence. The 19 September, 2008, exchange of fire took place between a seven-member Delhi Police Special Cell team, led by Sharma, and suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists, allegedly involved in the 13 September, 2008, serial blasts in Delhi. The bomb blasts took place in Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and India Gate, leaving over 26 people killed and over 133 injured. The team had received specific information that a suspected person wanted in connection with the five serial bomb blasts was hiding at L-18 flat in the four-storeyed Batla House of Jamia Nagar. The police team’s attempts to storm the flat around 10.30 am resulted in exchange of fire. The holed-up terrorists’ bullets hit Sharma, who subsequently died. [embedalsosee] Of the five, who were residing in the flat, Atif Ameen and Mohd Sajid were killed during the shootout, Ariz Khan alias Junaid had been declared a proclaimed offender, while Mohd Saif was not made an accused in this case as according to the prosecution, he had surrendered peacefully and had not played any part in the entire incident. The police filed the charge sheet against Ahmad on 28 April, 2010. The prosecution examined around 70 witnesses, including six eye-witnesses who were part of the police raid team. IANS