The controversy over the 11/7 serial suburban train blasts probe by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) doesn’t seem to die.
Ganesh Kanate/ Nikhil S Dixit
The controversy over the 11/7 serial suburban train blasts probe by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) doesn’t seem to die.
Mumbai Police Commissioner AN Roy told a press conference on September 30 that the case had been solved, but the veracity of his claims have been questioned all through.
The latest controversy has been triggered by an anonymous letter, written by a person who claims to be an ATS officer. Police sources said that the letter had been sent to Deputy Chief Minister and home minister RR Patil, Director General of Police, PS Pasricha and also to the Governor of Maharashtra, the Prime Minister and the President.
The letter, a copy of which is with DNA, stated that innocent people had been falsely implicated in the bomb blasts case. It added that senior police officers were “forcing” junior ATS officers to arrest innocent people by planting false evidence against them.
The letter also claimed that ACP Vinod Bhatt’s death was not an accident but a suicide. He had taken the drastic step after being forced by his seniors to implicate some innocent youngsters. It may be recalled that Bhatt died in suspicious circumstances, and his death was reported by all newspapers and news channels as suicide.
The letter said that before “committing suicide”, Bhatt had attended a meeting of ATS officers at their headquarters in Nagpada. Bhatt’s family, however, refused to comment on the issue.
The writer also said that he too had been pushed to the brink by the progress of the probe. But, unlike Bhatt, he had decided to expose the facts insted of killing himself. The letter added that officers of the ranks of sub-inspectors, assistant police inspectors, police inspectors and assistant commissioners of police should be questioned by an independent authority to find out the truth.
The letter urged the President to inquire into the investigations. It alleged that even home minister RR Patil had been deceived by his officers.
Patil, however, said that he had not received any such letter. He opined that the letter could have been written by the terrorists themselves.
“It is a part of the training the terrorists receive. If they are arrested,the first thing they should do is to attack the investigating agency,” Patil said.
The home minister appealed to the media and citizens to“”take no hee” of the letter, and let the investigating agencies work on the case.“It is a very sensitive case. If such things are highlighted, it is likely to affect the working of the investigating agency” he said.
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