NIA files second chargesheet, says bomb planters didn’t know about conspirators

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday submitted a supplementary chargesheet in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case, accusing RSS worker Kamal Chauhan and another person of planting bombs along with their associates on the train, killing 68 people, mostly Pakistanis.

The chargesheet was filed against Chauhan alias Bhai Saab alias Badrinarayan alias Lucky alias Vijay and Amit alias Ashwani Chauhan alias Prince alias Hakla alias Ashok alias Tutalla in a special court at Panchkula charging them with murder, conspiracy and other offences. It also names Lokesh Sharma, Amit, Chauhan and Rajender Chaudhary as those who planted the bombs.

The NIA said Sunil Joshi, a resident of Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, was the mastermind who planned and coordinated the execution of the blast. Joshi (murdered on December 29, 2007) had divided the executors — nine men also accused in the Malegaon and Ajmer blasts — into two teams, in such a way that one team didn't know about the other. So Joshi remained the "fulcrum of the criminal conspiracy with each team to be coordinated by and only through him".

While Chauhan was arrested on February 12 this year, Amit is still absconding. NIA's special public prosecutors R K Handa and Rajan Malhotra also moved an application seeking more time to complete the investigation, with four accused — Ramchandra Kalsangra alias Ram ji, Sandeep Dange alias Parmanand, Amit and Rajender Chaudhary alias Samundar — yet to be arrested. During the investigation, it was revealed that Chauhan was involved in planting the suitcase bombs on Samjhauta Express along with Sharma, Chaudhary and Amit.

The chargesheet reads that "it was decided to carry out blasts by planting suitcase bombs carrying inflammable materials to ensure that the ensuing fire engulfs most coaches, thereby causing maximum casualty".

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