The Times of India
'Bomb planter' in Samjhauta blasts case arrested, NIA says
By Bharti Jain, TNN | Dec 15, 2012, 09.51 PM IST
NEW DELHI: In a major breakthrough in the Samjhauta train blasts case, in which 68 people including several Pakistani nationals were killed, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested the "bomb planter", Rajender Chaudhary, from Nagda in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. He is also suspected of having planted the bomb in the Mecca Masjid blasts.
The arrest is perfectly timed as it comes in the middle of Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik's visit here. A senior NIA official, however, insisted that they were on Rajender's trail for almost a year, and his arrest on Saturday was "co-incidental".
Rajendar 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 earlier this year in February.
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, leading to the death of 68 people, most of them Pakistani nationals. Earlier, a cell phone-triggered pipe bomb explosion inside Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid on May 18, 2007 left nine dead and 70 injured. Five people were killed in police firing during the clashes that followed the blast.
According to the Samjhauta chargesheet, the conspiracy was hatched in 2005 in Madhya Pradesh. In December 2006, Lokesh Sharma sent Kamal and Samunder to Delhi to carry out a reconnaissance of possible targets. While the duo first wanted to bomb crowded lanes around 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 was given two suitcases with assembled bombs by Kalsangra the next day. The same day, they took a train to Delhi along with Lokesh Sharma and Amit Chauhan. Upon reaching Delhi, they stayed in different guest houses and roamed around areas such as 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, they were questioned and reprimanded by Dange for the failure of the two other bombs.
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 district, Madhya Pradesh.
On motive, the chargesheet said Aseemanand was quite upset with the jihadi/terrorist 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 Joshi 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 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 Sharma, apart from others under the leadership of Sunil Joshi, 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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