1998 Coimbatore Blasts Mastermind SA Basha Dead; BJP Asks DMK Government Not To Allow Large Funeral Procession

S A Basha, the mastermind behind the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts, passed away on 16 December 2024 at the age of 84. He died at PSG Hospitals in Coimbatore, where he had been receiving treatment.

Basha was a key figure in the Al-Umma organization and was convicted for his role in orchestrating the blasts that resulted in the deaths of 58 people and injured over 231 others.

Basha had been serving a life sentence since the events of 14 February 1998, when a series of bombings targeted the city ahead of a visit by Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani. He was accused of conspiring to kill Advani and had arranged significant quantities of explosives for the attacks. Recently, he had been granted parole for medical treatment.

Following his death, his family plans to conduct a funeral procession from Rose Garden in South Ukkadam to a local mosque.

The plan to allow the procession has drawn condemnation from BJP leaders. Party spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy wrote in a post on X, "...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."