Three accused in the 2016 Kollam Collectorate bomb blast case have been found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, while a fourth was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Principal Sessions Judge G. Gopakumar delivered the verdict, sentencing Abbas Ali (31), Samsun Karim Raja (33), and Dawood Sulaiman (27) to rigorous life terms for their roles in the blast. The defendants, all from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, are members of the banned terror group Base Movement, which espouses the ideology of Osama bin Laden.
On 15 June 2016, a low-impact bomb exploded under an idle labour department jeep at the Kollam Collectorate, injuring Sabu, the former president of Perayam Panchayat. The blast occurred during peak hours, when the court premises were bustling with people, raising serious public safety concerns. Investigators recovered key forensic evidence, including 15 batteries, 17 fuse wires, and a bag from the scene, which linked the incident to other bombings attributed to the Base Movement.
Roles, Charges, And Sentences
The court found Samsun Karim Raja to be the mastermind behind the plot. A week before the blast, Karim Raja visited Kollam, captured photos and videos of the Collectorate on his mobile phone, and then returned to Madurai to plan the attack with his accomplices. On the morning of the bombing, he traveled with the bomb by bus from Tenkasi to Kollam and placed it in the court premises.
The court sentenced Karim Raja to four life terms, while co-defendants Abbas Ali and Dawood Sulaiman received three life terms each. Additional concurrent sentences include 20-year and 10-year terms under multiple sections, such as IPC Sections 307 (attempted murder), 324 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 120-A (criminal conspiracy), and 427 (mischief-causing damage), as well as provisions under the Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Each defendant was also fined Rs. 30,000.
Base Movement And Broader Operations
The Base Movement, founded by the first accused, operated out of Darul Islam in Tamil Nadu and sought to instill fear through terror attacks. The organization had previously bombed other court complexes, including those in Chittoor, Nellore, Mysore, and Malappuram, indicating a coordinated attempt to target judicial institutions across South India.
NIA Investigation And Key Witness
The case, initially handled by Kerala Police, was later transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which arrested the suspects during a separate investigation into a Vellore blast. Muhammad Ayub, a fifth defendant, turned state witness, providing critical testimony that detailed how the group manufactured and planted the bomb. His statements also confirmed the conspiracy, identifying each member’s role in the operation.
(With inputs from Kerala Kaumudi)
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