NIA to file FIR, take over Sunil Joshi murder case

The National Investigation Agency suspects that former Rashtirya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak Sunil Joshi was murdered as he was talking too much about his group's involvement in the Hindu terror cases.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) suspects that former Rashtirya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak Sunil Joshi was murdered as he was talking too much about his group's involvement in the Hindu terror cases. The NIA is slated to take over the case by registering an FIR in the next few days.

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According to Madhya Pradesh police, Joshi was murdered in Dewas on December 29, 2007 by his group members. The state police has filed a chargesheet in the matter. But Centre has asked the NIA to further investigate the matter along with six other cases, wherein involvement of the group led by Sunil Joshi is suspected.

NIA suspects that Joshi's murder is integral part of the larger conspiracy to carry out bomb blasts in Muslim religious places and areas frequented by them between 2006 and 2008.

NIA sources believe that Sunil Joshi was the bridge between alleged conspirators like Pragya Singh Thakur and some senior Hindu leaders and executioners like Sandeep Dange and Ramji Kalsangra, who are still on the run.

They also suspect that Sunil Joshi was linked with almost all groups of Hindu extremists who believed in the theory of answering 'every bomb blast carried out Muslims with a bomb blast.' His links with groups in Kanpur and Nanded, where some Hindu extremists died while making bombs, are also under scanner.

According to sources, there are still some missing links in the investigation carried out by Madhya Pradesh police in the Sunil Joshi murder case. The state police chargesheeted five accused including Pragya Singh Thakur. According to sources, Pragya got to know about his murder over the phone. Yet MP police has said in its chargesheet that Pragya was involved in Joshi's murder. The NIA wants to focus on these issues.