In a key arrest in the Samjhauta Express blasts case, in which 68 people, including several Pakistani nationals, were killed in 2007, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) nabbed Rajender Chaudhary, who is suspected to have planted bombs on the train, from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
Investigators accused him of also having planted a bomb in Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid the same year. NIA sources described Chaudhary as a crucial catch.
Chaudhary alias Samunder, an accused named in the NIA chargesheet in the Samjhauta case, was carrying a Rs 5 lakh reward on his head. His role was unraveled by another accused, Kamal Chauhan, who was arrested in February.
Chaudhary was produced before a court in Ujjain which gave his transit remand to the agency. He is likely to be produced before a Panchkula court soon.
Among those named in Samjhauta blasts are Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Ramji Kalsangra, Sandeep Dange, Amit, Rajender Chaudhary and Sunil Joshi. Aseemanand and Sharma, and now Rajendar, have been arrested. While Joshi is dead, Dange, Kalsangra and Amit are absconding.
On February 18, 2007, a series of blasts ripped through Samjhauta Express near Panipat, Haryana, claiming the lives of 68 people, most of them Pakistani nationals. Later in the year, a cellphone-triggered pipe bomb explosion inside Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid on May 18, left nine dead and 70 injured. Five persons were killed in police firing during the clashes that followed the blast.
According to the Samjhauta chargesheet, the conspiracy was hatched in MP in 2005. In December, 2006, Lokesh sent Kamal and Samunder to Delhi to carry out a reconnaissance of possible targets. While the duo first wanted to bomb the crowded lanes around Delhi’s Jama Masjid, the plan was abandoned due to tight security. Samjhauta Express was then selected as it was easy to enter Old Delhi railway station with a bomb and plant it in a train without arousing suspicion.
Following this, on February 17, the duo came to Indore and Kalsangra gave them two suitcases containing assembled bombs the next day. The same day, they took a train to Delhi along with Lokesh and Amit. Upon reaching Delhi, they stayed in different guest houses and wandered around in areas like Lal Qila and Chandni Chowk until it was time for the train.
They planted the bombs in the train and left for Indore via Jaipur. Only two of the bombs exploded. Once in Indore, Dange questioned and reprimanded them that the two other bombs didn’t go off.
Investigations also revealed, the chargesheet said, that all of them had undertaken training in handling of weapons and explosives in 2006 in a jungle near Bagli, Dewas, MP.
Regarding the motive, the chargesheet said that Aseemanand was upset with the terror attacks on temples — Akshardham (Gujarat), Raghunath Mandir (Jammu) and Sankat Mochan Mandir (Varanasi). He used to “give vent” to his feelings while discussing with Sunil and his associates. Over a period of time, they developed deep animosity against not only the jihadis but also the entire minority community. As a result, Aseemanand propounded a “bomb ka badla bomb” theory. Samjhauta Express was chosen as most passengers who travel in it are Pakistani citizens.
According to the chargesheet, Aseemanand not only provided financial and logistical support to the terror group but also played a vital role in instigating and motivating his associates to undertake this terrorist act. Dange, Kalsangra and Lokesh, apart from others under the leadership of Sunil, were instrumental in not only procuring the raw materials for the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) but also getting these fabricated and planted.
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