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Varanasi, 23 November (HS). On Saturday, the 17th anniversary of the Varanasi Court serial blasts, lawyers remembered and paid tribute to their deceased colleagues. During this time a candle march was also taken out. 17 years ago, on this day, apart from Lucknow and Faizabad (now Ayodhya), serial bomb blasts took place in Varanasi court and collectorate. Nine people including three advocates Bhola Singh, Brahm Prakash Sharma and Buddhiraj Verma were killed in the terrorist attack on 23 November 2007. While more than 50 people were injured.
The lawyers’ eyes remained moist while paying tribute to the lawyers and other people who lost their lives in this accident at the spot. Advocates also expressed anger by abstaining from judicial work in protest against the serial blasts. Advocate Nityanand Rai, former General Secretary of Banaras Bar, said that after the serial blasts, governments kept changing in the state but even today there is no proper security system in the court premises. All governments have failed to identify the culprits of the Banaras court and bring them to justice.
Advocate Nityanand tells that 23 November 2007 was Friday. The work of the court was going on as usual. At that time there was a lot of hustle and bustle in front of the new twelve-room building. The reason was the testimony of Ajay Rai, the then MLA of Kolassa, a witness to the famous Awadhesh Rai murder case. Accused Mukhtar Ansari, now deceased, was the accused then. The then MLA Ajay Rai had reached the court with his entire army. Then there was a loud explosion and the bodies of Bhola Singh Advocate and others were torn to pieces in the explosion. Before people could regain their composure, after some time there was a loud explosion in front of the Hanuman temple in the collectorate. Some people including advocate Brahm Prakash Sharma, Buddhiraj Patel lost their lives there. 09 people died in the terrorist blast. Fifty people were injured there. Advocate Vashishtha Mishra was so injured that even today he is unable to walk properly.
Was the explosion meant to scare the witnesses of the Awadhesh murder case? Advocate Nityanand Rai says that if the bomb blast had not happened, the culprits of the Awadhesh Rai murder case would have been punished sixteen years ago.
However, the culprits of Awadhesh Rai’s murder case have been sentenced. It is believed that the then MLA Ajay Rai was determined to punish his brother’s murderers. And there was no pressure from the opponents on them, it is possible that a bomb blast was carried out to scare the witnesses. To show off, blasts were also carried out at other places in the court. So that the needle of suspicion does not point towards them. The accused in the Awadhesh Rai murder case also benefited from the horrific bomb blast. The trial was delayed for 16 years. If the bomb blast had not happened, the murderers of Awadhesh Rai would have been punished in 2007 itself. Let us tell you that on 23 November 2007, in Uttar Pradesh, apart from Lucknow and Faizabad (now Ayodhya), there were serial bomb blasts in the court and collectorate of Varanasi. The investigation of this terrorist incident was first handed over to the police and later to the Anti-Terrorism Squad.