The Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Rajasthan Police arrested another man in connection with the 2007 Ajmer dargah bomb blast in which three persons were killed.
Mukesh Vasani (42) of Godhra in Gujarat was arrested on Wednesday from his hometown. He is the first bomb planter among the five persons arrested in the case so far.
Vasani, a building construction contractor, is an anti-cow slaughter activist and is reportedly associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). He runs an outfit to protest against cow slaughter and often registers police cases against killing of cows, said an ATS spokesperson.
Vasani was tracked and arrested after the ATS got clues during the interrogation of Harshad Solanki who was arrested on Tuesday.
“Vasani is accused of planting a bomb at the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti on October 11, 2007. He has confessed that Sunil Joshi had assigned him the job of planting a bomb at the dargah,” the spokesperson said. Joshi was murdered a few months after the blast.
Rajasthan home minister Shanti Dhariwal said the Madhya Pradesh ATS cooperated with the Rajasthan ATS in the blast case but the state government had not cooperated.
The minister praised the Rajasthan ATS, saying the arrest of Harshad Solanki was a major achievement for the agency. “We are happy that the ATS independently arrested Harshad who is a suspect in the Ajmer dargah blast case and also involved in the 2002 Best Bakery riot case of Gujarat. Even the CBI and other investigation agencies could not arrest him but our ATS has done it,” said Dhariwal.
{{/usCountry}}The minister praised the Rajasthan ATS, saying the arrest of Harshad Solanki was a major achievement for the agency. “We are happy that the ATS independently arrested Harshad who is a suspect in the Ajmer dargah blast case and also involved in the 2002 Best Bakery riot case of Gujarat. Even the CBI and other investigation agencies could not arrest him but our ATS has done it,” said Dhariwal.
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