Samjhauta blasts: Hindu group leader’s custody extended
January 3rd, 2011 - 6:57 pm ICT by IANSPanchkula (Haryana), Jan 3 (IANS) A special court here Monday extended, by 10 days, the police custody of Hindu group leader Swami Aseemanand in connection with the 2007 Samjhauta Express train blasts in Haryana that killed 68 people.Aseemanand was brought before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court amidst tight security cover Monday afternoon. The proceedings were in-camera and no media person was allowed to enter the court while he was presented before the judge.
Earlier, Dec 24, the special judge sent Aseemanand to 10-day police custody.
Aseemanand, a member of the right-wing Hindu group Abhinav Bharat, was brought here from Hyderabad on a warrant Dec 23. He is also an accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad.
The NIA is interrogating Aseemanand about his alleged links with the people arrested in the Samjhauta Express blasts on tnhe night of Feb 18, 2007, at Diwana village near the industrial town of Panipat, 160 km from here.
The blasts took place in two coaches of the Samjhauta Express, a peace train between India and Pakistan that runs between Delhi and Lahore. A majority of the 68 victims were Pakistani nationals.
The train was going from Delhi to Attari, the last station on the Indian side. The passengers were to board the train to Lahore city the next day (Feb 19).
The CBI, railway police, Haryana Police and other investigating agencies had failed to make any headway in the train blast case in nearly four years.
Aseemanand was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Nov 19 last year from the religious town of Haridwar in Uttarakhand for his alleged role in the Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad.
- Samjhauta train blasts: Hindu leader sent to police custody - Dec 23, 2010
- Samjhauta blasts: Hindu leader sent to police custody till Jan 3 - Dec 24, 2010
- Samjhauta blasts: Aseemanand gets 14-day judicial remand - Jan 13, 2011
- Swami Aseemanand to be quizzed over Samjhauta train blast - Dec 21, 2010
- Aseemanand denies role in Samjhauta train blasts - May 12, 2011
- Samjhauta blasts: NIA charges Aseemanand, four others - Jun 20, 2011
- Samjhauta blast: Aseemanand in court, two declared offenders - Jul 01, 2011
- Samjhauta train bombing: Aseemanand's statement recorded - Jan 15, 2011
- Samjhauta blast: Assemanand denies knowing Kamal Chauhan - Feb 22, 2012
- Aseemanand insists he is innocent in Samjhauta blasts - Jul 18, 2011
- Court allows NIA to compare Samjhauta, Malegaon blasts evidence - Sep 28, 2011
- Rajasthan cops take Aseemanand to Ajmer for blast probe - Jan 22, 2011
- Murder charges filed against Aseemanand for Mecca Masjid blast - May 16, 2011
- Mecca Masjid blast accused sent to judicial custody - Jan 18, 2012
- Samjhauta blast accused Aseemanand claims innocence - Apr 22, 2011
Tags: abhinav, central bureau of investigation, express train, haridwar, hindu group, india and pakistan, investigation agency, mecca masjid blast, media person, national investigation, pakistani nationals, peace train, police custody, railway police, religious town, samjhauta express, special judge, train blast, train blasts, uttarakhand