M A I N   N E W S

samjhauta blasts
Aseemanand, three others charged with sedition, murder
Tribune News Service

Timeline Feb 19, 2007 Blasts in two compartments of Samjhauta Express near Panipat. 68 persons, mostly Pakistanis, killed Sept 30, 2010 NIA claims it is sure of the role of Aseemanand and the other accused Nov 19, 2010 CBI arrests Aseemanand, a member of the right-wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat, from Haridwar for his alleged role in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad in which 14 persons were killed. NIA questions him and claims that Aseemanand is involved in the Samjhauta blasts June 20, 2011 NIA files chargesheet

Panchkula, January 24
A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court, Panchkula, today framed charges against self-styled godman Swami Aseemanand and three others in the Samjhauta blasts case.

Besides Aseemanand, the others are: Kamal Chauhan, Lokesh Sharma and Rajender Pehelwan Chaudhary.

In the early hours of February 19, 2007, 68 persons, mostly Pakistanis, were killed in a blast aboard the Samjhauta Express. The train was going from Delhi to Attari, the last station on the Indian side. The passengers were to board the train to Lahore in Pakistan the next day. The blasts took place in two compartments at Diwana village near the industrial town of Panipat.

The case was cracked by IPS Vishal Garg, investigating officer (IO) posted with the NIA who had also solved the Ajmer blasts case (2007).

Aseemanand’s interrogation revealed that he had roped in Sandeep Dange, an engineering graduate, and Ramji Kalsangra, an electrician, to build the improvised explosive devices used in the blasts. They are absconding. One of the accused, Sunil Joshi, is now dead. On June 20, 2011, the NIA had filed a chargesheet against Swami Aseemanand and others. Aseemanand had recently applied for bail, but it was rejected. The agency had in August filed a supplementary chargesheet against RSS worker Kamal Chauhan and his associate Amit charging them with murder, conspiracy and other offences.