Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore serial blasts mastermind SA Basha dies at 84; police to deploy forces ahead of funeral
S A Basha, mastermind behind the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts, died on December 16 due to age-related ailments, prompting a significant police deployment for his funeral procession today.
FollowCoimbatore: SA Basha, the mastermind behind the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blasts, passed away on December 16 due to age-related ailments. Basha, 84, was the founder-president of the banned outfit Al-Umma and had been serving life imprisonment for the blasts that claimed 58 lives and injured 231 people.
A significant police deployment has been made in Coimbatore to prevent any untoward incidents during Basha's funeral procession, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening. Around 2,000 police officers have been deployed for this purpose.
Basha's family plans to hold the funeral procession from South Ukkadam to Hyder Ali Tippu Sultan Sunnath Jamaath Masjid at Flower Market. However, BJP Tamil Nadu vice president Narayanan Thirupathy has urged the police to prevent the procession, citing concerns that it may set a bad precedent and glorify a criminal.
Thirupathy also pointed out that the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts marked the beginning of fundamentalist thoughts and violence, and communal problems in the region. He claimed that hundreds of people in various political parties and movements were still members of the banned Al-Umma.
"It is really shocking and unfortunate to know that a funeral procession of the dreaded terrorist of the banned Al-umma’s founder Basha would take place today at Coimbatore as per media reports. Basha was the conspirator in 1998 Coimbatore Bomb blast that took away 58 lives and many hundreds injured with crores of public property lost.
Basha is a life convict in the said Bomb blast case and he was in parole recently. Media reports say that “According to his family sources, his body will be taken in a funeral procession from South Ukkadam to the Hyder Ali Tippu Sultan Sunnath Jamaath Masjid at Flower Market on Tuesday evening” is a worrying news and it should not be allowed at any circumstances.
I am surprised to see that some politicians in Tamil Nadu has hailed the terrorist Basha as a Martyr as if he has served the society. He is a life convict sentenced for murdering around 60 Thamizh people and leaving hundreds injured. He is a hard core criminal and convict.
The Tamilnadu police should not allow this procession , as this will set a bad precedence in the society if a criminal , terrorist, murderer is hailed as a Martyr. No doubt any one though a cold blooded murderer should be allowed to have his/her last rights but it should be done peacefully and not with a huge honours for which they don’t deserve.
The fundamentalist thoughts and violence, communal problems started from 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast only and Basha was the top most person responsible for that. Even today there are hundreds of persons in various political parties and movements who had been members of the banned Al-Umma. This procession may trigger the forgotten memories of 1998 and it may lead to a greater communal issues in future. It is the responsibility of the Honorable Chief Minister
@mkstalin
to see to it that this procession does not take place and the last rights of the dead terrorist Basha should be allowed to perform only with their family members and not with any big crowd.
The Tamil Nadu Police should see to it that the last rights happen peacefully not with big following. Other wise it will send a wrong message to the next generation that even criminal & terrorists can be hailed as Martyrs.
Hope the @CMOTamilnadu would instruct the concerned not to allow any procession as the person was responsible for the loss of 58 innocent Tamils in 1998 that too during the @arivalayam rule," Thirupathy wrote on X.
Basha was granted parole by the Madras High Court recently and had been on parole when he passed away. He had spent 35 years in prison for his role in the 1998 blasts.
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