CBI-ATS team explores Abhinav Bharat's role in Ajmer blast

Bhopal, Oct 23 : A joint team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Rajasthan Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) has been investigating the role of Hindu rightwing outfit Abhinav Bharat in the Malegaon, Samjhauta Express and Ajmer Sharif blasts, police sources say.

The team has been interrogating suspects in the Malwa region of western Madhya Pradesh for five days, the sources said Friday.

"A team of CBI officials and Rajasthan ATS is camping in Malwa in connection with the Malegaon, Samjhauta Express and Ajmer dargah blasts. It has so far questioned 10 people to find out whether the perpetrators in all the three cases were linked," a police source told IANS on condition of anonymity.

The official said at least four of the 10 suspects questioned are alleged to be members of Abhinav Bharat.

The team has also found that some of them had links with the slain RSS leader Sunil Joshi and absconding Malegaon blast accused Ramji alias Ram Chandra Kalsangra.

"Intelligence sleuths had chanced upon Joshi's telephone diary a few months ago. Call details of a mobile number found in his diary led investigators to Madhya Pradesh in search of the suspects," said a source.

"All those who were interrogated at Indore were in touch with Joshi and those questioned at Shajapur were linked to Ramji," said a police official.

The Malegaon blasts took place in Maharashtra in September 2006, killing six people. The Samjhauta Express train bombings occurred in February 2007 in Haryana and claimed 66 lives, while the Ajmer Sharif blast in Rajasthan killed three people in October 2007.

Before coming to Madhya Pradesh, the Rajasthan ATS had collected the statements, narco-analysis report and brain mapping tests done on Lt Col S.P. Purohit - who has been linked to Abhinav Bharat - and other accused in the Malegaon blast case.

"Purohit had allegedly told the investigators during narco-analysis that Dayanand Pandey, also an accused in the Malegaon blast, had planned the Ajmer dargah blast that claimed three lives," the official said.

Those interrogated so far are Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's (BJYM) Indore unit leader Pranav Mandal, Anandraj Kataria, Vinod Patidar of Mhow, Arjun Yadav of Dewas, Deepak Yadav and Rajesh Mishra of Pithampur. The officials are expected to interrogate a few more Hindutva activists at Dewas, Mhow and Pithampur.

Madhya Pradesh DGP S.K. Raut, while confirming the presence of the joint CBI and ATS team in the state, said: "No arrests have been made so far".