Terror probe: CBI arrests Aseemanand in Haridwar

The Uttarakhand police confirmed Aseemanand’s arrest in Haridwar. “A team from the CBI was here and they have arrested Swami Aseemanand from an ashram in Haridwar. We believe they have taken him to New Delhi,” a senior police official told The Indian Express. Rajasthan ATS chief Kapil Garg said a team would soon be sent to question Aseemanand in connection with the Ajmer Dargah blast case. “He is a vital link in this investigation. We hope to question him. We have also been on his trail since the first arrest in this case in April,” Garg said. He pointed out that the ATS chargesheet mentions Aseemanand as the main conspirator and ideologue behind the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast.

Sources said Aseemanand went underground soon after the Rajasthan ATS made the first breakthrough in the case with the arrest of Devendra Gupta on April 29 in Ajmer. During the course of his interrogation,Gupta mentioned that it was Aseemanand and Sunil Joshi who had brought him into their fold and convinced him to carry out attacks in Ajmer and Mecca Masjid,the sources said.

Aseemanand remained in the Dangs in Gujarat where he was based for a few weeks after Gupta’s arrest. A team from the Rajasthan ATS had been tracking Aseemanand ever since. According to the ATS,he was spotted in Gujarat a few times but then fled to South India.

“Aseemanand had sympathisers who probably sheltered him for a while. We believe he kept moving to keep his location secure. We also believe that Aseemanand went to certain areas in the North East before settling down in Haridwar,” a senior official said.

According to senior ATS officials,the plot to target Muslim places of worship was intended to “avenge” attacks against places like the Akshardham temple and Raghunath Mandir.

“We believe it was Aseemanand’s plan to start the series of attacks across the country. He was not only responsible for choosing targets and making plans,but was vital in supplying logistics and financial aid to those who would execute the operation,” an official said.

It is alleged that Aseemanand also harboured Sunil Joshi — prime suspect in the Ajmer blast case,he died later — and other accused in his ashram in the Dangs.