The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) today filed a 10,000-page chargesheet in the July 11 serial train blasts case, naming 30 accused, many of them Pakistanis but remained vague on use of pressure-cooker bombs.

This is in contrast to the findings of the National Security Advisor and Central Forensic Science Laboratory, who together with Mumbai Police Commissioner A N Roy, had earlier claimed that pressure cookers were used to conceal the RDX-laden improvised explosive devices. The devices went off in seven first-class compartments of suburban trains on the evening of July 11, killing 187 persons and injuring more than 827.

Special public prosecutor Raja Thackeray confirmed that no pressure-cooker theory is mentioned in the chargesheet filed in the MCOCA court.

But ATS chief K Raghuvanshi added another twist: “There is no omission. We've mentioned that some household utensils were used to assemble the bomb. The pressure cooker is the household item.”

The chargesheet, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, names 30 accused, including the 13 who have already been arrested and booked under MCOCA. Fifteen are absconding and two dead.

The 13 in custody have been booked under various sections of the IPC, MCOCA, Railway Act, Passport Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act among others. Ten accused and three absconding ones belong to banned organisation, Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

The conspiracy, as stated in the chargesheet is that wanted accused, Azam Cheema, a Pakistani national, Faisal Shaikh and Asif Khan alias Junaid conspired to wage war against Government of India by terrorising people and inciting Muslims through organisations like the SIMI and Laskhar-e-Toiba sometime in 1999.

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