1998 Coimbatore Blasts Convicts Get Parole, BJP Jabs With "Betrayal" Remark

The TVK government's decision to grant a 60-day parole to those convicted for their roles in executing the 1998 Coimbatore serial blast smacks of "selective softness towards convicted terrorists" and is an insult to those who died and a betrayal to those who survived, said the Tamil Nadu BJP on Monday as it demanded the reversal of the move.

The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister Vijay, allowed the 60-day break from jail to Mohammed Ansari, Mohammed Ali, Monappa alias Mohammed Hassan, Mohammed Ajam and Nawab Khan, who were convicted for orchestrating the blasts that killed 58 people and injured over 250 ahead of BJP leader LK Advani's rally. They were linked to the banned Al-Umma terrorist organisation.

The grounds for the parole, as cited by the authorities, were personal reasons and health conditions, and that the convicts had already spent 25-30 years in prison. They are neither adequate nor commensurate with the gravity of the crime, the BJP argued.

"Personal grounds cannot override the gravity of a terror attack that remains one of the darkest chapters in the state's history," said Tamil Nadu BJP spokesperson Narayan Thirupathy in a post on X, condemning the TVK "in the strongest terms."

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"The blasts, executed by the banned Al-Umma terrorist organisation ahead of an election rally, were a deliberate act of mass murder against civilians. The Supreme Court itself has described this crime as "atrocious" and refused to grant bail to the convicts," he said.

The politician said granting parole to the convicts who helped plant bombs which tore apart families is an "insult to the dead and a betrayal of the living". He said the move tells the people of the state that those who wage a war on society can get lenient treatment.

"This decision reeks of selective softness towards convicted terrorists. The memory of the 58 victims and the security of the public demand that this parole be revoked immediately. The BJP demands the immediate cancellation of the 60-day parole orders and insists that no further concessions should be extended to Al-Umma convicts in this case," Thirupathy added.

"Justice for the victims of Coimbatore cannot be traded for political calculations. Terrorists must serve their full sentences," he added.

12 explosions took place in the city. The blasts were seen as a coordinated attempt to assassinate LK Advani, who was scheduled to address an election rally.