NIA names ‘terrorists with RSS-BJP links’

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Tuesday gave the home ministry a list of "right wing suspects (who) were associated with either RSS or its affiliated groups at one point or the other".

The NIA, which is investigating alleged terror attacks by Hindu extremist groups, has arrested 24 people and declared seven as absconders.

The NIA gave details of 10 alleged extremists who it said were affiliated to the Sangh Parivar from 2001-08.

"Yes, there is evidence," Home Secretary R K Singh said. "We have names of at least 10 persons involved in the Samjhauta Express (February 2007), Mecca Masjid (May 2007) and (Ajmer) Dargah Sharif blasts (October 2007) who were associated with RSS at some point or other."

The NIA has named Swami Aseemanand, who was prant pracharak pramukh of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in Dangs when he was arrested in 2010; Sunil Joshi, an RSS zila pracharak in Mhow, who was killed in Dewas in December 2007; Ramji Kalsangra, a vistarak in Dewas who is on the run; Shivam Dhakad, a pramukh in Dewas; Devender Gupta and Sandeep Dange, zila pracharaks in Jamtara and Shajapur respectively; Kamal Chouhan, who was allegedly an RSS vistarak in 2001-02; alleged RSS workers Chandrashekhar Leve and Lokesh Sharma; and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who was arrested in 2008.

The NIA has, however, said there is no concrete evidence to suggest that the RSS or BJP were directly involved in terror training.

ALSO READ

They hold a mirror to our times, Anurag and Dibakar are guests at Adda on Friday night

Siddaramaiah seen ahead in Karnataka CM race

Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay loses battle for life, body sent back to Pakistan

Supreme Court nod for Cairn-Vedanta deal