Assam court awards life imprisonment to man for raising Pak-based terror module

A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Guwahati has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raising a module of a Pakistan-based terror outfit in Assam with the objective of carrying out terrorist activities, officials said on December 31.

According to the NIA, Md Kamruj Zaman, also known as Kamruddin, was convicted under various provisions of the anti-terror law for establishing a module of the banned Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in the state during 2017–18. The court awarded him three separate sentences, with the maximum being life imprisonment, which will run concurrently.

In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a fine of ₹5,000 on Zaman, with an additional simple imprisonment of three months in default of payment, in each of the three instances.

The NIA said the conspiracy was aimed at spreading terror among the public and destabilising peace and security in the region. During the investigation, the agency found that Zaman had recruited Sahnewaz Alom, Saidul Alam, Omar Faruk, and a few others to further the activities of the terror outfit.

The anti-terror agency had filed a chargesheet in March 2019 against five accused, including Zaman. During the trial, three of the accused — Sahnewaz Alom, Saidul Alam, and Omar Faruk — were convicted after pleading guilty. The fifth accused, Jaynal Uddin, died due to illness during the course of the trial, the NIA said.

The NIA stated that the conviction and sentencing underscore its continued efforts to dismantle terror networks and prevent extremist activities in the country.