By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Five years after Ministry of Home Affairs asked National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate Malegaon 2008 blasts, NIA on May 13, 2016 submitted its supplementary charge sheet in the case against 10 accused and gave clean chit to 6 accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Thakur maintaining that sufficient evidences have not been found against them for prosecution.
However, when NIA’s various submissions before courts prior to the change of government at centre in May 2014 is scrutinized then this clean chit does not look so clean but a sullied one and in discordance with its own investigative papers.
Ever since NIA took up investigation, it never objected to ATS investigation until recently but rather NIA used its revelations for investigations in Mecca Masjid blast, Samjhauta express blasts, Ajmer Blasts and Sunil Joshi murder case.
After getting clues from the investigation of Malegaon blasts, NIA made Sadhvi an accused in Sunil Joshi murder case registered in Madhya Pradesh. Joshi was her accomplice and had developed personal differences due to which he was allegedly killed in 2007 by Sadhvi and others.
In February 2014 i.e. three years after it took over the investigation of case, Arvind Digvijay Negi, Additional Superintendent of Police, NIA filed a detailed affidavit before Bombay High Court to oppose bail of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur (Criminal Appeal No.1305 Of 2013) and contended that she was one of the ”principle conspirators” and had taken active part in the said bomb blast by providing her motorcycle to the other accused persons for planting the explosives in it.
Negi had submitted statements of at least seven witnesses to prove above allegations. Moreover, he had also submitted statements of five witnesses in regards with the ownership of LML freedom vehicle that was given by Sadhvi to bomb planters.
NIA submitted that an accused Sudhakar Udaybhan Dhar-Dwivedi in his confessional statement revealed the entire conspiracy since beginning including the formation of “Abhinav Bharat” and necessary steps or measures to be taken for formation of Hindu Empire. He said Sadhvi was present in conspiracy meetings at Bhopal and Jabalpur. He also said that in his presence she had asked Colonel Purohit to provide explosives for the protection of Hindu community but Purohit was not taking the said matter seriously.
A seized laptop of Dwivedi contained audio and videos showing the entire recording of the meetings held at various places including Bhopal and Indore. Sadhvi had full knowledge that Ramchandra was using her bike and was aware of Ramchandra knowingly erasing the chassis and engine number and using a bogus registration number.
It also claimed the above statement was corroborated by Witness numbers 112, 118, 121, 144 and 79. Witness number 112 even said in the statement at page number 253, “It was decided to explode explosives at Malegaon. Sadhvi Pragya Thakur had stated that for doing such work, there is no paucity of persons/men and she shouldered the responsibility for the same.”
Witness number 55 said he was told by Purohit that he was instrumental in preparing the bomb and that the said bomb was planted on the motorcycle given by Sadhvi.
After perusing NIA’s above affidavit and arguments of Sadhvi’s counsels, Justice P.V. Hardas And Justice A.S. Gadkari of Bombay High Court on April 4, 2014 rejected bail of Sadhvi. Before parting with the order High Court exclaimed, “The material available on record clearly indicates that the Appellant (Sadhvi) is a conspirator and had actively helped the other co-accused by providing a motorcycle for explosion of bomb at Malegaon. We are of the considered opinion that a strong prima facie case as against the Appellant (Sadhvi) exists on the basis of the material available on record”.
After 3 years of investigation if the national agency can submit this before Bombay High Court in February 2014 then what has suddenly changed now that made it to give clean chit to such a ‘principle conspirator’ of the bomb blasts? Nothing has changed since this submission of NIA but the central government.
Call it a caged parrot or anything but it is abundantly clear now that NIA has got a big boss after May 2014.
Related:
NIA gives clean chit to Sadhvi and others without conducting custodial interrogation
Malegaon 2008 Blasts: HC and SC accepted MCOCA then why did NIA drop it?