1993 Mumbai blasts convict dies in Nashik

Sharif Gafur Parkar, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case, died at a hospital following illness, jail authorities said on Friday.

Parkar (80), suffering from paralysis and a neurogenic disorder, died at the Nashik Civil Hospital yesterday, Nashik Road Central Jail Superintendent Ramesh Kamble said.

Parkar had surrendered before a TADA court in Mumbai in May 2013 to serve the remaining part of his life sentence in connection with the case, after his conviction in the blasts case was upheld by the Supreme Court. Accordingly, he was lodged in the Nashik prison. He was convicted by the TADA court for his role in organising the landing of arms and RDX in Raigad district prior to the March 1993 serial blasts, and in arranging a conspiracy meeting. 

He was undergoing treatment for illness in jail and Nashik Civil Hospital for past few months, Kamble said.