He stayed at Joyrambati for a week to see his ailing mother
By Twocircles.net Staff Reporter
Kolkata/Arambagh: Swami Aseemananda, an accused in a number of cases, including Samjhauta Express, Malegaon, Ajmer Sharif dargah and Mecca Masjid blasts, was out on a 10 day parole to visit his ailing mother and purportedly enjoyed a luxury holiday.
The radical Hindu activist Swami Assemanand, along with security personal, stayed at a luxury hotel ‘Ananya’ at Joyrambati in Bankura district near the border of Hooghly district of West Bengal.
Accordingly to sources, he reached Joyrambati on July 22 and returned on July 29 to jail again.
Most of the rooms of this hotel are air-conditioned and costly compared to other hotels in this area.
Earlier, on June 30, after appeal from Aseemananda’s lawyer Mandir Singh, Justice S S Saron led a division bench of Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had granted him 10 days’ parole to meet his ailing mother at Joyrambati village.
The court had directed the National Investigating Agency (NIA) to take his custody and keep him under observation as he is accused in several cases of bomb blasts, including Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid and Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
“Aseemananda stayed along with his aged sick mother Pramila Sarkar, 85, and brothers at this hotel. All the arrangements were made by NIA. Due to security reasons, reporters and general people were not allowed near the hotel,” said a district police official.
Police force from nearby two police stations – Kotalpur and Goghat – under the supervision of NIA officials were deployed for duty.
TCN tried several times to contact the hotel owner on his mobile phone, but received no response so it could not be established what was the expense incurred for the weeklong stay in hotel for Aseemananda.
In the meanwhile, a prime accused of a radical Hindu terrorist outfit enjoying the stay at a luxury hotel for which the government paid for the expenses has drawn sharp reactions.
Sudarshan Roychowdhury, Hooghly district general secretary of CPIM told TCN, “After taking charge at the Centre, the government is assisting communal forces. It is the same case in West Bengal. It is spending the money for a blast accused, which is not at all surprising. Tax payers’ money has never been used for any jailed blast accused.”
He also said, “Any blast accused, especially who is in jail, never should be given VIP facilities when he gets parole. It should be stopped.”
Idris Ali, Trinamool Congress MP, told TCN, “Was it the court which asked the NIA to go for an AC accommodation and spend so much of money? If the court directed for VIP arrangements, there is no question. Else, Aseemananda, who is an accused in a major bomb blast case where the central Investigating agency has framed him, never should be given a VIP treatment.”
Idris added that every convicted person should get same advantage and anyone should never be given any extra advantage.
Sushanta Sarkar, brother of Aseemananda, told mediaperson that all the family had been staying along with Aseemananda in the same hotel. He also said, “Aseemananda was not willing to speak with many relatives. But after 28 years, he met his mother and mostly talked with her. His health condition is quite improved.”
District police officials said, Aseemananda silently returned on Wednesday after finishing his stay of one week. “Now, he is back to Ambala jail in Haryana,” police said.
According to district police official sources, to protect the ‘high profile’ accused of several blast case along with the NIA officials, more than 26 security men were staying continuously in the hotel. Security personal had shifted all the guests at the hotel to a nearest guest house and taken custody of Aseemananda with his family members.
Locally known as Nabakumar Sarkar alias Swami Aseemananda, he was born at village Bhyenra under the Purshura police station of Hooghly district. Later, the family shifted to near Kamarpukur Ramkrishna Mission temple area under the Goghat police station more than 45 years ago. Aseemananda’s father Bibhutibhushan Sarkar was a freedom fighter. Aseemananda is the second son among seven brothers, all of whom are educated; one brothers is a doctor, another an income tax officer, all staying at different places. Aseemananda’s mother has been staying with the youngest son Prashanta Sarkar at Joyrambati.
Aseemananda obtained a degree in Physics in post-graduation from Burdwan University after which he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha 28 years ago. Later, he joined the radical Hindu organisation ‘Abhinava Bharat’.
He was the prime accused of the bomb blast that took place on February 18, 2007 in two coaches of Samjhauta Express at Dewana Railway station in Panipat of Haryana, where at least 68 passengers were killed. Samjhauta Express runs between Delhi and Lahore as a symbol of peace.
Not only that, he was also one of the accused in the Ajmer Sharif Dargah blast in Rajasthan and Mecca Masjid blast case in Hyderabad as he was considered as one of the masterminds by national security agencies.