NIA to stick to bomb ka badla bomb, theory in Samjautha blasts case

The NIA would stick to its chargesheet which was filed in 2010. It would not seek more information from the US on the Lashkar financier.

The National Investigation Agency will continue to probe the bomb ka badla bomb theory in the Samjautha express blasts case. The NIA is likely to drop its request for more information on a Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative Arif Qasmani which it had sought from the United States.

It may be recalled that in 2009, the US had named Qasmani as the financier of both the Samjautha express and Mumbai train blasts of 2006. NIA chief Sharad Kumar had even visited the US to seek out more information on Qasmani.

However, now it appears as though the NIA will not pursue its request for information on Qasmani. The NIA had sought information under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. The US is yet to respond to it, but the NIA is unlikely to pursue that matter any further.

This is an indication that the case would proceed as per the 2010 chargesheet in which the agency had named eight persons including Swami Aseemanand as the accused in the case. It may be recalled that the NIA had stated that the blast was an act of revenge and it had quoted Aseemanand as saying, bomb ka badla bomb, or a bomb for a bomb.

It may be recalled that Aseemanand was acquitted in the Ajmer blast case recently. He was also granted bail in the Mecca Masjid blast case of Hyderabad. Even in the Samjauth blasts case, he was granted bail in 2014 by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The NIA is yet to take a call on whether to challenge the orders which granted Swami Aseemanand bail.

OneIndia News