New Delhi:
Sat Jun 18 2011

Just days ahead of the Foreign Secretary-level talks between Indian and Pakistan, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to file a chargesheet against Swami Aseemanand and others into the 2007 Samjhauta Express train blast in which 43 Pak nationals were among the 68 killed. The agency had taken over the probe into the case in 2010 and arrested Aseemanand in December last year.

Officials said the chargesheet, expected any time now, is likely to name Aseemamand, Sandeep Dange, Ramji Kalsangra, Sunil Joshi (dead) and Ashwini Chouhan. While Aseemanand is in judicial custody at Ambala prison, Joshi was murdered in December 2007, the three others are absconding.

The NIA has also brought on record the statement of Bharat Rateshwar, one of the associates of Aseemanand, and called him one of the “prime witnesses” in the case. Others examined include shopkeppers from Kothari Market in Indore from where the alleged materials used in the blasts were purchased. On February 19, 2007, a day after the blasts, investigators eized two live bombs which included two suitcases (Kodak) with covers (Apollo 600 handwritten on them), digital timer, 6-Volt battery, yellow colour explosive mixture, an electronic circuit contained in plastic box and 13 plastic bottles with fuel.

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The forensic examination of the seized material confirmed use of cyclonite (RDX), PETN, TNT, potassium chlorate. The first breakthrough in the case came from some of the accused arrested for the Malegaon blasts of 2008. Besides banking on the confession of Aseemanand, the NIA has tried to establish the “conspiracy” where two meetings between the accused took place to select the Samjhauta Express as a target.