Ayodhya attack verdict likely on June 18

Seven people , including five alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad operatives and two local residents (Ramesh Panda and Shanti Devi) were gunned down, while seven CRPF jawans were injured in the attack.

The UP police had arrested five people, Irfan, Ashiq Iqbal alias Farooque, Shakeel Ahmed, Mohammad Naseem and Mohammad Aziz, in the case and they are lodged at Naini jail in Allahabad. Dr Irfan hails from UP’s Saharanpur district while others are residents of Poonch in Jammu.

Sources here on Wednesday said Special Judge (SC/ST) Dinesh Chand has fixed June 18 for pronouncement of judgment in 2005 terror attack in Ayodhya. Police had arrested five people on various charges including hatching conspiracy and providing logistic and material help to terror suspects, who were gunned down at the site.

A total of 63 prosecution witnesses were examined by the court during the long hearing underway through video conferencing from Naini jail where the five accused are lodged.

As per the incident, on July 5, 2005, the heavily guarded Ram Janmabhoomi - Babri Masjid complex was attacked by armed terrorists. The attack was foiled by security officials and the attackers were killed after an hour long encounter.

The terrorists were from the Islamic terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, and were suspected to have entered India through Nepal. They posed as pilgrims on their way to Ayodhya, and boarded a Tata Sumo at Akbarpur near the Kichaucha village in Faizabad. At Faizabad they abandoned the Sumo and hired a jeep driven by a driver, Rehan Alam Amsari.