Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) The bomb blast outside the Delhi High Court complex last year was an attempt to threaten the judiciary and save from the gallows Afzal Guru, convicted in the 2001 parliament attack, the NIA told a court here Tuesday.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in a chargesheet filed in the blast case before Special Judge H.S. Sharma, identified Wasim Akram Malik as a chief conspirator.

The Sep 7, 2011 blast outside the reception counter at gate no.5 of the high Court killed 15 people and injured 80.

The terror attack was hatched between June-September 2011 at Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir by Wasim Akram Malik, Amir Abbas Dev and terrorists of the Hizb-ul Mujahideen - Amir Ali Kamal, Junaid Akram Malik and Shakir Hussain Sheikh alias Choata Hafiz.

Wasim Akram Malik, an avid internet user, conspired with the terrorists of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and other outfits. He was a medical student at Jalalabad Ragib-Rabeya Medical College, Sylhet, Bangladesh.

His younger brother Junaid Akram Malik, is an active cadre of Hizb-ul Mujahideen since November 2010.

Wasim Akram Malik came close to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Pakistani terrorist groups in 2005.

He entered India in June 2011 and surveyed the high court area. He chose gate no.5 to plant the bomb as it was close to the reception area.

He reached Kishtwar in July 2011 and contacted Hizb-ul Mujahideen militants Amir Kamal and Chota Hafiz and told them about the terror plan.

He insisted on highlighting the action in national and international arena and the need for deploying for the Delhi terror attack people who did not have Kashmiri facial features.

Wasim Akram Malik directed accused Amir Abbas Dev to undertake the task of sending a mail regarding the responsibility of the attack.

Days before the blast, the preparations were carried out.

“Amir Kamal introduced the other two persons as militants from Pakistan namely, Abu Saifulla and Abu Bilal, who had been arranged for carrying out the bomb blast at Delhi High Court and had already conducted a recce of the high court area in August 2011,” said the NIA.

The mail regarding taking responsibility of the blast was sent by a minor accused.

Three accused Amir Kamal, Junaid Akram Malik and Chota Hafiz are absconding and the NIA has announced a reward of Rs.10 lakh each to anyone who gives information about them.