Aseemanand & Co relied on SIMI chief’s confession

Bhartesh Singh Thakur 

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, March 20

In addition to the witnesses turning hostile one by one, the defence relied on the narco-analysis report of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) chief, Safdar Nagori, to prove the innocence of Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary in the Samjhauta blast case. On February 18, 2007, two IEDs had exploded on the Samjhauta Express train. Nagori was arrested in Indore on March 27, 2008. 

The defence told the court that Nagori had categorically stated in his test report in Samjhauta blasts that some persons from Pakistan had come and they had purchased a suitcase cover at Kataria market in Indore. It was pointed out that Nagori had said that one Taslim had helped them get the suitcase cover stitched. 

The NIA Court was told that Nagori had further said that Abdul Razak, a resident of Indore and SIMI activist, had helped the Pakistanis in the blasts. He had claimed that before the blasts, Razak had informed him that he had taken the help of Misbah-ul-Islam of Kolkata.

On the basis of the report, the then Investigating Officer (IO) of SIT on September 19, 2008, had obtained a production warrant for Abdul Razak. 

Razak was then involved in a criminal case, registered on March 30, 2008, under the Unlawful Activities Act and Section 133 A of the IPC at Indore. 

The SIT IO had sought his remand, but later on he was got discharged on December 10, 2008.

As the case was leading nowhere, the National Investigation Agency took over the case on July 26, 2010.