Swami Aseemanand to be quizzed over Samjhauta train blast

Tuesday December 21, 2010 09:36:55 PM, IANS

Chandigarh: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will question Hindu religious leader Swami Aseemanand, accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad, in connection with the Samjhauta train blasts that left 68 people dead in February 2007.

The NIA, according to officials, has sought the production warrant of Aseemanand from a court in Panchkula town in Haryana, 15 km from here, to question his role in the Samjhauta train blasts at Diwana village near the industrial town of Panipat, 160 km from here, Feb 18, 2007.

Aseemanand was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Nov 19 from the religious town of Haridwar in Uttarakhand for his alleged role in the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad.

The court of the additional district and sessions judge, which is hearing the train blast case, granted the production warrant Monday for Aseemanand till Jan 3.

Following blasts in two bogies, majority of the 68 victims of the Samjhauta express link train, the peace train between India and Pakistan, were Pakistani nationals. Both bogies were completely gutted in the fire that engulfed them following the blasts on the moving train.

The train was headed from Delhi to Attari, the last station on the Indian side. The passengers were to board the Samjhauta Express train to Lahore city in Pakistan the next day (Feb 19).

The CBI, railway police, Haryana police and other investigating agencies had failed to make any headway in the train blast case in nearly four years.
 

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