Petlawad blast: Narco test of Kaswa’s kin to be conducted

Judicial magistrate first class on Friday has ordered a narco analysis test of the family members and a relative of Rajendra Kaswa -- the main accused of September Petlawad blast in MP’s Jhabua.

Judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) on Friday has ordered a narco analysis test of the family members and a relative of Rajendra Kaswa -- the main accused of September Petlawad blast in MP’s Jhabua.

Rajendra Kaswa’s house in Petlawad which is sealed. (HT file photo/Shankar Mourya)

According to reports, the court has ordered narco test of Kaswa’s wife Premila, daughter Sonia, son Subham, and two brothers, Phool Chandra and Narendra Kaswa and a relative Manoj Gondia.

“The narco test of the family members of Rajendra Kaswa has been ordered by the court after police filed an application in this regard,” public prosecutor RP Rai told HT.

Notably, the special investigation team (SIT) had filed an application in this regard on Thursday and suggested the narco test.

The SIT team, headed by ASP Seema Alwa, is investigating the case but has still not been able to nab Kaswa.

On September 12, 84 people were killed and nearly 100 injured after a massive blast, caused by mining explosives stored illegally, ripped through a crowded area in the town.

After the blast, police seized 59 detonators and two batteries from Kaswa’s house in Petlawad while officials said they expected to catch him in a day or two as information trickled in from witnesses.

Kaswa went missing after the incident, and initially police were also suspicious about his death in the blast.

But after conducting a DNA test of the Kaswa family and matching it with the unidentified bodies found at the blast site, they concluded that Kaswa was alive and in hiding.