‘NIA might destroy Samjhauta blast case’

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said the “seized” documents must include confessional statements, chargesheet and the correspondence between the government, NIA, attorney-general, NIA, and that between the home ministry and the PMO.

Mr Sharma, expressing fears that the NIA might “destroy” the Samjhauta Express blast case, said Col. P.S. Purohit, an accused in the case, had written a letter to national security adviser Ajit Doval on January 6, and on January 8 it reached the home ministry and on January 9 the MHA “started working” on it. He added: “I have not seen such speed in the movement of files in the government.”

Mr Sharma and AICC spokesman R.P.N. Singh claimed at a press conference at the AICC headquarters that the BJP was “playing politics” on terrorism. Mr Singh said: “They (BJP and Centre) are giving credence to Headley (David Coleman Headley, American terrorist of Pakistani origin, and a spy) but raising questions on Karkare (late Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who died in the 26/11 attacks and was awarded the Ashok Chakra).”

Mr Anand Sharma, demanding a Supreme Court-monitored probe in the Malegaon case, said: “There is rule of law in the country, and the law doesn’t discriminate... These developments raised questionmarks on the integrity of India and its commitment to fight forces of terror.”

Referring to the Samjhauta blasts case, Mr Sharma said the NIA was working in a direction similar to Malegaon. He said news was being “planted” in the newspapers that “information had been received in 2009, through America, that some other organisations were behind this (Samjhauta Express blast)... Some Karachi-based industrialist had put money in the Samjhauta Express blast. The chargesheet has been filed in that case too.

“And who gave that information I am telling you today, it is some jihadi who is in a jail in America since 2003. And he is giving information about the 2007 Samjhauta blast.”