Haridwar:
In a major breakthrough, the CBI today arrested Swami Aseemanand from Haridwar, for the blasts in the Ajmer Dargah and Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid in 2007.
Originally known as Jatin Chatterjee, the godman hails from Hoogly district in West Bengal, but was functioning from an Ashram in Gujarat's Dangs district for over a decade. Known for his militant views, he had gone missing two years ago, after his protégé, Pragya Thakur Singh, was arrested as a prime accused in the Malegaon blast.
Aseemanand is a big catch especially for the Ajmer blast, where he has been named as the main conspirator in the chargesheet of the Rajasthan Anti Terror Squad (ATS).
"Aseemanand is the main conspirator behind the Ajmer blast. His arrest is a big breakthrough to unravel the conspiracy and find out who all were involved in the blast," said Shanti Dhariwal, Home Minister, Rajasthan.
Besides the Ajmer blast, Aseemanand was allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind the Malegaon and the Mecca Masjid blasts in Hyderabad. Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Colonel Purohit, the prime accused in the Malegaon blasts, were constantly in touch with Aseemanad, though he is not been named as an accused in that case.
He's also had close links to several Sangha Pariwar leaders, including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. His stars were once shining brightly, but after the arrest by the CBI, he may face a dark future.
After Aseemanand's arrest, the Rajasthan ATS says it is confident of putting together all the pieces of the Ajmer puzzle. As he's also linked to other blasts, security agencies hope that through him they will now be able to crack many more mysteries.
Originally known as Jatin Chatterjee, the godman hails from Hoogly district in West Bengal, but was functioning from an Ashram in Gujarat's Dangs district for over a decade. Known for his militant views, he had gone missing two years ago, after his protégé, Pragya Thakur Singh, was arrested as a prime accused in the Malegaon blast.
Aseemanand is a big catch especially for the Ajmer blast, where he has been named as the main conspirator in the chargesheet of the Rajasthan Anti Terror Squad (ATS).
"Aseemanand is the main conspirator behind the Ajmer blast. His arrest is a big breakthrough to unravel the conspiracy and find out who all were involved in the blast," said Shanti Dhariwal, Home Minister, Rajasthan.
Besides the Ajmer blast, Aseemanand was allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind the Malegaon and the Mecca Masjid blasts in Hyderabad. Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Colonel Purohit, the prime accused in the Malegaon blasts, were constantly in touch with Aseemanad, though he is not been named as an accused in that case.
He's also had close links to several Sangha Pariwar leaders, including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. His stars were once shining brightly, but after the arrest by the CBI, he may face a dark future.
After Aseemanand's arrest, the Rajasthan ATS says it is confident of putting together all the pieces of the Ajmer puzzle. As he's also linked to other blasts, security agencies hope that through him they will now be able to crack many more mysteries.
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