3 months on,police yet to find proof to nail arrested IM hand

Ashutosh Mishra,the IO and circle officer (CO) Bhelupur of the Varanasi police,on Tuesday submitted an application before the CJM court stating that no evidence could be collected so far to corroborate Saif’s role in the blasts. Mishra has sought more time from the court for the investigation. The next hearing in the case is slated for May 30.

Defence lawyer Girijesh Singh said: “The application by the IO stated that evidence is yet to be collected against the accused and that the police require more time to submit the chargesheet. He also did not submit any application regarding extension of the judicial remand of Saif. The police already have taken 90 days and have failed to collect any evidence against the accused. Now,they have another 40 days to file the chargesheet.”

Mishra,however,sought to downplay the issue saying the remand extension was not required at this stage. “The remand extension was not sought from the court as it was not required. The accused is already under the custody of the police of another state and there is no possibility of his running away. Had he been lodged in Varanasi jail,we would have sought his remand extension.”

“Saif has confessed to his active role in hatching a conspiracy of triggering blasts and planting bombs in Varanasi on March 7,2006. Since the accused usually do not stick to the statement given to the police during trial in the court,we have to collect corroborative evidence in support of the confession,” Mishra added. “We need more time to collect concrete evidence and find a witness who can identify Saif before the court,” he said.

The SP (City) Varanasi,Vijay Bhushan,who is supervising the investigation in the case,said: “Saif,who was taken in police custody in Varanasi on February 12,2009,has confessed during interrogation that Atif Amin (killed in Batla House encounter) had asked for a recce in and around Sankatmochan temple. Saif,Atif,Arif,Shadab alias Mullick,Junaid,Sadiq alias Yasir and an unidentified youth had held a meeting at Sarai Mir in Azamgarh to chalk out the strategy for the blast.”

“They all went to Varanasi by bus and returned after conducting a recce of the temple and the railway station. Saif’s brother Dr Shahnawaj collected 6 kg of explosives from Riyaz in Mumbai and handed it over to Atif in Azamgarh,” he added.

In his confession,Saif had reportedly said the IEDs were assembled by Sadiq and Atif in a rented room at Sarai Mir while Arif Badr set the timers in the bombs.

Three IEDs were carried to Varanasi and the time in each of the bombs was set for 6.30 pm. Saif and Atif planted the bomb at the market while Shadab and the unidentified youth,who had accompanied the group during the recce,placed it in the temple. Ariz and Haddi (exact identity yet to be revealed) planted the timer at the railway station.

The bomb placed by Atif and Saif was recovered unexploded while 20 were killed and 50 others injured in the blasts at two places.