Bharat Rakshak

ramana wrote:Aseemanand and 3 others set free from the accusation of Samjhauta Express bombing afterc12 years in custody.

Rajinder Nagarkoti | TNN | Updated: Mar 21, 2019, 02:00 IST

PANCHKULA: Four accused, including the radical right-wing’s Swami Aseemanand, were on Wednesday acquitted by the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Panchkula in the 2007 Samjhauta blasts case.

The special NIA judge Jagdeep Singh pronounced the verdict after dismissing an application filed by a Pakistani woman, Rahila Vakil, who said she was the daughter of Muhammad Vakil, one of the Pakistanis killed in the Samjhauta blasts. She had urged court through her lawyer Momin Malik to record her statement and examine other Pakistani witnesses of the twin blasts.

Sixty-eight people, mostly Pakistanis, on board the Samjhauta Express were killed when bombs set off in two bogies of the train going from Delhi to Attari, the last station on the Indian side, on February 18, 2007, at Diwana village, near Panipat in Haryana.

The NIA will examine the court’s orders and accordingly decide on the next course of action. “The NIA had received the investigation of the case almost three years after the incident but still after several difficulties in investigations, the agency had unearthed the case. However, due to delay some of the witnesses turned hostile and we could not link the charges. We will examine the copy of the judgment and any decision on appeal will be taken after that,” NIA prosecutor R K Handa added.

The court acquitted the former RSS activist Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajender Chaudhary in the case. When the special NIA judge pronounced the verdict, Aseemanand and three others were calm, revealed sources.

Of the total eight accused in the case, Sandeep Dange, Ramchandra Kalsangra and Amit Chauhan are absconding. Another accused Sunil Joshi, allegedly the mastermind of the case, was shot dead at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh on December 29, 2007.

Aseemanand and Kamal Chauhan now have no cases pending against them, but Lokesh Sharma and Rajender Chaudhary will remain in judicial custody in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. There were total three cases against Aseemanand, including 2007 Mecca Masjid blast, Ajmer Dargah blasts and Samjhauta blasts. On April 16, 2018, he was acquitted by special NIA court in Hyderabad in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case. Similarly, in March 2017, Aseemanand was acquitted in Ajmer Dargah blasts case.

After the verdict, Aseemanand, who was out on bail, exited the court room and thanked people and media who were outside court complex with folded hands. However, he did not comment on his acquittal and left the premises in a private vehicle.

Aseemanand’s counsel Mukesh Garg said the NIA court’s verdict had proved that his client and others had no links with these blasts.

The NIA had filed the charge sheet, running into 1,500 pages against Aseemanand and four others in the Panchkula NIA court on June 20, 2011. In the charge sheet, the agency had accused Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Sunil Joshi (now dead), Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalasangra alias Ramji, of murder and criminal conspiracy, under the Explosive Substances Act and Railways Act and others. Later, supplementary charge sheet was also filed against the remaining accused.

The NIA had submitted that the accused had attacked the train to take revenge against the terror attacks on Hindu temples — Akshardham (Gujarat), Raghunath Mandir (Jammu) and Sankat Mochan Mandir (Varanasi). However, the accused had pleaded they were falsely implicated in the case and their ‘confessional statements’ had been taken by the investigation agencies under duress by resorting to coercive methods.

Samjhauta Express blast case: Aseemanand among 4 acquitted by special NIA court

India Today Web Desk
New Delhi
March 20, 2019
UPDATED: March 20, 2019 19:52 IST

HIGHLIGHTS

Samjhauta Express occurred near Panipat in Haryana on February 18, 2007
68 people were killed in it and most of them were Pakistanis
The probe was handed over to the NIA in July 2010

Four accused in the Samjhauta Express blast case, including godman Swami Aseemanand, have been acquitted by a court in Panchkula, Haryana. The three other people who have been acquitted are: Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary. They have been acquitted by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court.

The verdict came after NIA special judge Jagdeep Singh dismissed the plea filed by a Pakistani woman for examining eyewitnesses from her country, saying it was "devoid of any merit".

"All the four accused, Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Swami Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary have been acquitted by the court," NIA counsel Rajan Malhotra said.

The blast in Samjhauta Express occurred near Panipat in Haryana on February 18, 2007, when the train was on its way to Attari in Amritsar, the last railway station on the Indian side. The blast had ripped apart two coaches of the cross-border train, killing 68, mostly Pakistani nationals and four Indian Railway officials.

In July 2010, the probe was handed over to the NIA. After its probe, the NIA filed a charge sheet in the case in June 2011 against eight persons for their alleged roles in the terror attack.

Aseemanand acquitted in Samjhauta Express blast case
Court says charges not proved against four accused, Pakistan lodges protest.

india Updated: Mar 20, 2019 23:42 IST
Pawan Sharma and Rezaul H Laskar
Hindustan Times, Panchkua/ New Delhi

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Haryana’s Panchkula on Wednesday acquitted Naba Kumar Sarkar, alias Aseemanand, and three other accused in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case that killed 68 people, prompting Pakistan to summon the Indian high commissioner in protest.

This is the third terror-related case in which Aseemanand, a former functionary of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliate, has been acquitted. He was earlier cleared in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case in Hyderabad and the 2007 Ajmer blast case - two other cases that gave rise to the phrase “saffron terror”, which Hindutva organisations reject as false propaganda.

“All the four accused, Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Swami Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary have been acquitted by the court,” NIA counsel Rajan Malhotra said after the verdict was announced by NIA special judge Jagdeep Singh in a courtroom where the media was not allowed.

“While pronouncing the ruling, the NIA special judge Jagdeep Singh stated the prosecution has failed to prove its case and that therefore, all four accused are hereby acquitted. The detailed order of the ruling is awaited,” Mukesh Garg, counsel for Aseemanand, told reporters outside the court.

A visibly relieved Aseemanand, who was already out on bail, didn’t speak to the media but another of his lawyers, Manvir Rathi, said, “He was a victim of political terrorism. All cases against him including Samjhauta blast case were planted due to political reasons.”

Shortly after the verdict, Pakistan summoned the Indian high commissioner to register a “strong protest and condemnation”. “The acquittal of the accused today, 11 years after the heinous Samjhauta terror attacks, makes a travesty of justice…” said a statement issued by the foreign office. Pakistan called upon India to explore “judicial remedies”.

Officials with knowledge of the developments said the Indian high commissioner rejected Pakistan’s assertions and highlighted that due process of law had been followed in a transparent manner.

He also pointed to the lack of cooperation by Pakistan in serving summons on Pakistani witnesses in the case. The high commissioner also asked for an expedited trial in the 2008 Mumbai attack case and the 2016 Pathankot attack case, and pointed out that Pakistan hadn’t taken “credible” steps against the Jaish-e-Mohammed, which took responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama strike that killed 40 troopers.

A verdict in the case was expected last week but a last-minute intervention by a Pakistani national through her lawyer resulted in the deferment of the judgment.

In her intervention, Rahila Wakil, who hails from Dhingrawali village of Hafizabad district in Pakistan, said that her father Muhammad Wakeel was one of the victims of the train blast and added that all Pakistan nationals who were witnesses in this 2007 case are “ready to appear” to testify. Her petition was dismissed by the court on Wednesday.

“Another UPA time false case falls apart,” tweeted Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Ram Madhav, referring to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance that was in power when the charge sheet was filed.

Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti questioned the grounds on which the accused were acquitted.

“Despite damning evidence, the accused including a former RSS member have been acquitted. God forbid, had they been Kashmiris / Muslims, they would be pronounced guilty & imprisoned without even a fair trial. Why such double standards and leniency towards saffron terror?” the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister asked.

Two coaches of the India-Pakistan Samjhauta Express were engulfed in flames on February 18, 2007 after improvised explosive devices (IED) planted in unreserved compartments were set off near Panipat in Haryana. Sixty eight people were killed, most of whom were Pakistani nationals. The bi-weekly train, which is jointly run by the Indian and Pakistani Railways, was travelling from New Delhi to Attari, the last station before the Pakistan border. At Attari, passengers switch to a Pakistani train.

The probe was handed over to the NIA in July 2010. The agency filed a charge sheet in July 2011 against eight people and said two general coaches of the train, which had 16 cars in all, caught fire after the bomb explosions. Two unexploded suitcase bombs were also found in other compartments of the train.

The agency said the accused were angry with the “Islamic terrorist attacks” on Hindu temples - Akshardham (Gujarat), Raghunath Mandir (Jammu) and Sankat Mochan Mandir (Varanasi). The investigators sought to establish a link between the Samjhauta, Mecca Masjid and Ajmer blast cases. The defence argued that the link was tenuous and that the statements of the accused were taken under duress.

Of the eight accused, Aseemanand, Sharma, Chauhan and Chaudhary appeared before the court and faced trial. Sunil Joshi, the alleged mastermind of the attack, was shot dead near his home in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district in December 2007.

The three other accused -- Ramchandra Kalsangra, Sandeep Dange and Amit, who was mentioned only by one name -- could not be arrested and were declared proclaimed offenders.

NIA had charged the accused with murder and criminal conspiracy, and under the Explosive Substances Act and the Railways Act. According to NIA investigators, the agency recorded the statements of 224 witnesses out of a total of 299; 51 witnesses turned hostile; and nine witnesses died; and 13 Pakistan nationals did not record their statements. NIA officials said during the trial that they sent several summons to the Pakistani witnesses through the external affairs ministry that didn’t receive a response.

(with agency inputs)

First Published: Mar 20, 2019 23:42 IST

Sanju wrote:In the above links posted:

TimesNow = refers to radical right wing.
IT refers to the Swamiji as godman Swami Aseemanand.
:

Two main accused in Malegaon blasts were killed in police custody


Suspended Inspector Mehboob Mujawar, who was part of the probe team for the blasts, has told a Solapur court
that the bodies were disposed of as “unidentified 26/11 victims”.
Two of the main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, believed to be on the run for eight years now, may
already be dead.
In a sensational revelation, suspended Police Inspector Mehboob Mujawar has alleged that Sandeep Dange and
Ramji Kalsangra, who were accused of planting the bombs in Malegaon, were killed in custody by Maharashtra
Anti-Terrorism Squad officials in 2008 itself and their bodies were disposed of with 26/11 terror attack victims.
Police Inspector Mehboob Mujawar was deputed by the Director General of Police’s office to the Maharashtra
Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team probing the Malegaon blasts, which left eight people dead and scores injured.
He was part of the team till March 2009 and his job was to gather intelligence.
The allegation, which can prove to be embarrassing for the Maharashtra ATS, has been made in an affidavit filed by Mujawar, who was suspended after two cases – one of disproportionate assets and the other under the Arms
Act --were filed against him before the Solapur Magistrate’s Court earlier this month.
The Solapur Magistrate’s Court is hearing the two cases against Mujawar, who has sought a discharge, claiming
that he is being victimised for complaining against the officers involved in eliminating Dange and Kalsangra to
SS Virk, the then Director General of Police in 2009.
Mujawar has, however, not named any police officers in the affidavit. When Mumbai Mirror contacted him in
Solapur over the phone, he said he would reveal the officers’ identities before the court. “A terror suspect whom
I had caught in connection with the Malegaon blasts from Jalgaon was allowed to go scot free, whereas
Kalsangra and Dange were taken into custody the same day as Sadhvi Pragya Thakur. Kalsangra and Dange were
taken to Nashik and from there they were taken to Mumbai, where they were killed in custody,” he said.
Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who were arrested on conspiracy charges in the case, are
currently in jail.
Mujawar was advised to file the affidavit by social activist Neeraj Gunde, whom the police officer had
approached for advice on the two cases filed against him.
Mujawar has claimed that Kalsangra and Dange’s bodies were marked as “unidentified victims of 26/11 terror
attacks” and disposed of. “When we checked the pictures of those bodies, there were a lot of similarities with the
absconding accused,” said Gunde.
Two police officers ACP Rajan Ghule and Police Inspector Ramesh More, who were part of the Malegaon blasts
investigation, already stand accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation of abducting a certain Dilip Patidar
from Indore.
Patidar was made a witness in the Malgaon blasts case and picked up from his residence in Indore for
questioning by an ATS team led by Ghule and More. Patidar was brought to Mumbai, but never reached home.
Kalsangra was Patidar’s tenant in Indore.

Suspended Police Inspector Mehboob Mujawar, who created a stir late last month by claiming that two of the
main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case -- Sandeep Dange and Ramji Kalsangra -- were killed in police
custody, has revealed that a third person was also killed around the same time by Anti-terrorism Squad officials,
who were then handling the blasts probe.
Mujawar was on Tuesday questioned for nearly eight hours by a National Investigation Agency team at its
Cumballa Hill office. He, however, told the investigators that he did not know the identity of this third person
because he was not involved in the operation to arrest him.
Interestingly, two police officers -- ACP Rajan Ghule and Police Inspector Ramesh More, both part of Malegaon
blasts investigation -- stand accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation of abducting a certain Dilip Patidar
from Indore.
Patidar was made a witness in the Malgaon blasts case and picked up from his residence for questioning by an
ATS team led by Ghule and More. Patidar was brought to Mumbai, let off after questioning, but he never reached
home and was never seen again.
NIA sources said it is possible that Patidar is the third person Mujawar is referring to. There are quite a few
common links between Patidar, Kalsangra and Dange. For starters, all three were arrested from Indore. But more
importantly, Kalsangra was at one point a tenant of Patidar.
Mujawar’s allegations on the alleged custodial killings of Kalsangra and Dange were made in an affidavit filed in
December last year before a Solapur Magistrate’s Court, where he is facing two cases – one of disproportionate
assets and the other under the Arms Act. Mujawar has sought a discharge in both the cases claiming that he is
being victimised for complaining against the officers involved in eliminating Dange and Kalsangra to their
superiors.
In NIA and ATS records, Dange and Kalsangra are “absconding” and Patidar is “missing”. Dange and Kalsangra
have been accused of planting the bombs in Malegaon that left eight people dead.
According to Mujawar, Dange and Kalsangra were killed in custody in 2008 itself and their bodies were
disposed of with 26/11terror attack victims. He has claimed that Kalnsangra and Dange were in ATS custody for
more than a month before they were killed.
Mujawar was deputed by the Director General of Police’s office to the ATS team. He was part of the team till
March 2009 and his job was to gather intelligence.
When Mumbai Mirror contacted Mujawar on Tuesday following his questioning, her said he has revealed to the
NIA the identities of the police officers he believes were involved in the custodial killings.

Rudradev wrote:Shwetank Bhushan had written an article that was a good review of the Malegaon and Samjhauta prosecution-related events. I tried looking for it online but cannot find it.

Rajdeep wrote:

Rudradev wrote:Shwetank Bhushan had written an article that was a good review of the Malegaon and Samjhauta prosecution-related events. I tried looking for it online but cannot find it.

Is this what you are referring to ?

https://www.organiser.org/Encyc/2018/4/ ... -Myth.html