RSS leader chargesheeted for Ajmer Blast; BJP defends bomber

October 23, 2010

Jaipur, October 23: The Rajasthan ATS on Friday filed a charge sheet against five 2007 Ajmer blast accused, accusing them of murder and defiling a place of worship.

A senior RSS leader, Indresh Kumar, is among those named in the charge sheet, which says the blast at the Ajmer Dargah three years ago was the result of an elaborate conspiracy hatched by a group of Hindu radicals.

The chargesheet says:

Indresh took part in a meeting in Jaipur on October 31, 2005 with seven others

In the meeting he exhorted members to do radical acts

Indresh said being part of religious organisations will help them avoid suspicion and accomplish their mission

Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, was also present in that meeting.

Police say there is not enough evidence to frame charges against Indresh yet, but there's every possibility he will be questioned.

The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, says the RSS must accept the truth.

"The RSS should accept the truth which has come out," said Gehlot.

"The ATS has done a very good job as it was very important for the truth to come out and it is now in the open. A link was found between Ajmer Sharif blast, Jaipur and Malegaon blasts and the wrongdoers were caught. I think the ATS has done a good job for which even the central Government had thanked them," Gehlot added.

But the man in the eye of the storm, Indresh Kumar, claims he's being framed. "It is a political conspiracy," he told media persons.

The RSS has backed Indresh, but it's turning out to be a blame game between the Congress and the BJP.

"The RSS has been consistently working to undermine and upset the pluralistic ethos of India," said Manish Tewari, Congress Spokesperson.

"This is a political conspiracy to tarnish the image of organisations like RSS which is involved in nation building," said Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP Spokesperson.

The 806-page charge sheet was filed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Jagendra Kumar Jain in connection with the blast on the premises of the Dargah of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti that left three persons dead and 15 others injured.

The accused have been charged with sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 120B (conspiracy) and 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship) of IPC among others.

The prosecution has cited 133 witnesses. The court fixed October 26 for arguments on the charge sheet.

BJP defends bomber

Meanwhile Defending RSS leader Indresh Kumar, whose name figures in the Ajmer blast chargesheet, BJP on Saturday said there was nothing "substantial or credible" against him and accused the government of targeting nationalist organisations while keeping quite on Kashmiri separatists.

"According to our information Indresh Kumar has not been named as an accused in the chargesheet. There is nothing substantial or credible against him... No organisation has been named. How can anyone say that BJP or RSS is involved or that this is saffron terror," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.

At the same time, she maintained that Kumar will defend himself "as a citizen" in court while RSS was "more equipped to talk" about its members figuring in the chargesheet.

Ahata-e-Noor, the site of the blast is surrounded by police. File photo

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Inspector suspended for allowing politicians inside police station during BJP MLC Ravi arrest

News Network

December 25,2024

Bengaluru: Police Inspector of Khanapur station has been suspended for dereliction of duty by allegedly letting in political leaders and others inside the station while BJP MLC C T Ravi was in custody in connection with a case registered against him, officials said on Wednesday.

The suspension order was issued by the office of Inspector General of Police, North Zone, Belagavi on December 21, they said.

On December 19, Ravi was arrested by the police from the premises of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi for allegedly using a derogatory word against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in the legislative council hall.

According to the official order, when C T Ravi was taken to Khanapura police station for safety reasons, Police Inspector Manjunath Nayak, who was in-charge of the station, was told to use the staff and assign suitable duties to them.

It was also ordered to block the entry of any person other than the accused inside the police station. However, many political leaders and mediapersons stormed inside the police station. This created a noisy atmosphere inside the station, it stated.

The order further stated that as a responsible police inspector grade officer, Nayak failed to prevent several political leaders from entering Khanapur Police station, thus creating a tumultuous atmosphere.

He violated the order of superiors, showed negligence and carelessness while performing duty. Therefore, a departmental inquiry was initiated and Nayak was suspended from service with immediate effect for dereliction of duty, the order stated.

According to a police statement issued on Wednesday, after registration of case under section 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in Hirebagewadi police station here, Ravi was taken into custody and handed over to the investigating officers.

However, Ravi was shifted to Khanapura police station considering the security aspect and the huge crowd gathered near Hirebagewadi police station.

"A large number of mediapersons, supporters and party workers gathered and created a chaotic atmosphere in Khanapura police station. There was also the possibility of additional supporters and Congress workers arriving. All these factors also had the potential to disrupt public order," the police stated.

Keeping in mind Ravi's safety, he was shifted to Ramadurga, it said.

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