Mecca Masjid blast accused held from Haridwar ashram
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service
The ashram room of one of the accused, Jatin Chatterjee, popularly known as Swami Asimanand, who was arrested by the CBI on Friday. A Tribune photograph
Haridwar, November 19
In a secret operation, a Central Bureau of Investigation team raided a Haridwar ‘ashram’ and took into custody evasive Jatin Chatterjee alias Swami Asimanand and his aide for their alleged involvement in Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad), Ajmer and Malegaon blast cases.
According to information, the five-member CBI team from New Delhi swooped on suburban Bahadrabad-based ashram, situated at Atmalpur Baungla village near here, late last night and arrested Chatterjee and his aide Brahmanand. The duo was interrogated prior to being arrested.
Asimanand is considered as an ideologue by Abhinav Bharat, an organisation alleged to be behind the Malegaon blast in Maharashtra in 2008.
As the CBI operation was a top secret owing to the sensitivity of the case, initially even the Haridwar police was unaware of the proceedings. Swami Asimanand, it is learnt, had been staying in the area for the past one week. And the local police’s not knowing anything about the blast suspects is being considered as an intelligence failure.
Police said the CBI had received some intelligence inputs about the suspects hiding in Haridwar. A passport issued by authorities in Kolkata, a ration card and a voter identity card (issued by Haridwar officials) were also seized from their possession.
As per sources at another ashram here, Swami Asimanand had come to Haridwar on November 12 to attend a religious function. Here, he was taken ill and had been residing at the ashram ever since.
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The Hindu, Nov 21, 2010
Swami Asimanand in judicial custody
Staff ReporterHYDERABAD: Swami Asimanand, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the 2007 Mecca Masjid bomb blast case, was remanded to judicial custody till November 30 by a local criminal court here on Saturday.
The 59-year-old man, with his face fully covered with a shawl, was produced amid tight security in the court of 14th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, where a strong media contingent waited since morning.
He is to be lodged in a separate cell in Chanchalguda Central Prison in view of the threat perception. Moreover, the CBI's plea that Asimanand be remanded for a 15-day police custody would be heard on Monday.
High security
The CBI flew the arrested man in a special flight from New Delhi to Hyderabad on a transit remand, in top secrecy and amid high security. Clad in a white shirt and white lungi, Asimanand covered his face with a light brown coloured shawl and was led into the court hall surrounded by a posse of nearly 30 policemen.
Asimanand, who appeared nervous, told the court that he had no advocate to defend him. Asked whether he should be remanded to judicial or police custody, he replied in chaste Hindi: “I am prepared for anything. I have full faith in the agency.” Ultimately, the court had appointed a defence advocate to represent him.
The CBI told the court that his complicity in the conspiracy of Masjid blast came to light recently and that he was now being cited as accused number six. His real name was Naba Kumar Sarkar and he was also using alias of Swami Omkaranand. He was arrested in Haridwar by the CBI on Friday.
