NIA refutes views of other probe agencies in 2006 Malegaon blasts

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its chargesheet, has refuted the theory of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which had linked the 2006 Malegaon blasts to the subsequent recovery of a fake bomb in a mosque.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its chargesheet, has refuted the theory of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which had linked the 2006 Malegaon blasts to the subsequent recovery of a fake bomb in a mosque.

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NIA said that while the ATS and CBI investigations focused on the incident of September 13, 2006 when a fake bomb was recovered in a mosque, it had based the probe on the confession by Swami Aseeman which revealed the involvement of a Hindu terror outfit in several blasts across the state.

On September 8, 2006, 37 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in four bomb explosions that took place near Hamidia Masjid in the Bade Kabristan area of Malegaon. A few days later, on September 13, 2006, a ‘fake’ bomb was found on the staircase of Mohammedia mosque.

After the blast the probe was handed over to the ATS, the squad arrested Noor-ul-Hooda and Raees Ali in the fake bomb case and claimed that they were activists of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Based on their investigation, ATS also arrested Shabbir Ahmed Massiullah, Salman Farsi Abdul Latif Aimi, Farokh Iqbal Ahmed Magdumi, Mohammed Ali Alam Shaikh, Asif Bashir Khan, Mohammed Zahif Abdul Majeed Ansari and Abrar Ahmed (who later turned approver).

The case was later handed over to the CBI. The central agency endorsed the claim of the ATS and added a few more names to the list of the accused bringing the total number to 13.

The NIA said the central agency had failed to gather more evidence in the case.