Madani's wife among 13 charged in Kalamassery bus burning case

Nazeer and Madani are also accused in the case relating to the 2008 Bangalore serial blasts, in which one person was killed. Soofiya has been named the 10th accused in the case related to burning of the bus in 2005 by suspected PDP activists in protest against Madani's continued detention in connection with the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts, which claimed 58 lives and left over 200 injured.

The other accused are Abdul Haleem, Ismail, Shefeeq, Sabir Buhari, Muhammed Navaz, Thajudin, Nazar, K A Anoop, Ummer Farooque, Majeed Parambai and Mohammed Sabir. The 14th accused, Abdul Rahim, died in Kashmir and he is not set up for trial.

The chargesheet said the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy in the first week of September 2005 to wage war against the government of India, strike terror against the people and to set the bus ablaze.

In pursuance of their goal, they assembled at Aluva Masjid on September 8, 2005 to chalk out their plan at the instance of Majeed Parambai, the 12th accused and direction of Soofiya, it said. It was decided that six of them would board the bus from a bus stand at Ernakulam and three others would follow in three bikes to enable the former escape on two wheelers.

On September 9, 2005, Nazeer, Abdul Haleem, Ismail, Shefeeq, Sabir Buhari and Muhamammed Navaj boarded the Salem bound bus. Thajudin, Nazar and Anoop waited for them at Kalamassery.

As the bus with 31 passengers reached Kalamassery, one of the accused pointed a gun at the driver while two others placed knives on his neck and forced him to take it to a lonely place before asking all passengers to alight and setting it afire.

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the unlawful activities, 1967. This is the second case in which the National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet after it took over investigation in terror related cases in Kerala.