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My client was never accused in Samjhauta blast case: Lt Col Purohit's lawyer

Purohit was never an accused in Samjhauta blast case: Neela Gokhale

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Advocate Neela Gokhale
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Speaking to ANI, Colonel Purohit’s lawyer Neela Gokhale said that her client was never accused in the Samjhauta blast case. She added that whatever he was doing was for his work as an intelligence officer and he was communicating with his superior officers. She said: “Purohit was never an accused in Samjhauta blast case. Many officials have deposed before Court of Inquiry that whatever Purohit was doing because he was an intelligence officer. He (Lt Colonel Purohit) was an intelligence officer & he had kept on communicating to his superiors.”

Cong demands removal of NIA Director General

Amid controversy over the alleged dilution of 'Hindu' terror cases filed under the UPA regime, Congress demanded removal of the Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA). The party also demanded that all the cases being handled by the NIA be placed before the Supreme Court to ensure that there was "no pressure" on the probe agency. "Since the Narendra Modi government came to power, we have seen witnesses turn hostile. Be it in the Samjhauta Express, Ajmer or Malegaon blasts," Party spokesman Ajoy Kumar told reporters.

He said every nation hopes that their investigative agency is honest and has integrity. "But, we are seeing how shamelessly the Modi government is undermining the NIA and using it for partisan politics". Accusing the BJP of undermining national security, he claimed it was using the NIA to serve its petty political interests.

Alleging that pressure is being put on NIA to safeguard the RSS, he said the Modi government, in an "almost Goebellian way", is trying to tell people that Colonel Shrikant Purohit has got a clean chit in Samjhauta Express blast." "Why is the NIA giving him a clean chit on this?" he asked.

Noting that Col Purohit is accused in the Malegaon bomb blast, he said it is "worrying" that in these cases the judicial process is being delayed.

"This shows how the Modi government was trying to divert all the discussion on this investigation?" Stressing that in the Samjhauta Express blast case, there were four others accused along with Aseemanand, he claimed that Aseemanand had "confessed" that he got "endorsement" from senior RSS leaders.

"He had mentioned Indresh Kumar. Indreshji is a senior RSS member and questioned by the CBI".

He said in Ajmer blast case, three witnesses have turned hostile. "One Ranbir Singh is former BJP minister. Why is pressure being put on witnesses?

No proof against Lt Col Prasad Purohit in Samjhauta case says NIA 

Earlier, the NIA said there was no proof against Lt Col Prasad Purohit in the Samjhauta blast case but investigation against him is underway in connection with the Malegaon blast case. "There is no proof against him in Samjhauta blast case. He was never an accused. I wonder why his name is being linked to Samjhauta blast case," NIA Director General Sharad Kumar told PTI. He said Purohit has been chargesheeted by ATS Mumbai in Malegaon blasts in 2008 and NIA was carrying out further investigations in the matter.

The NIA has filed charge sheet against eight people in connection with Samjhauta blast case which includes Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Swami Asimanand, Late Sunil Joshi alias Sunilji, Ramchandra Kalsangra, Sandeep Dange (both absconding), Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan, Amit and Rajender Choudhary. The case pertains to the criminal conspiracy which resulted in bomb blasts in the Attari Express (Samjhauta) train near Panipat, Haryana on February 18, 2007.

This blast and the consequent fire in the train coaches resulted in the loss of 68 lives and injuries to 12 train passengers including women and children travelling in the train.


With agency inputs 

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