2007 Samjhauta Express bombings

"Similarly, there was enough evidence to prove the involvement of SIMI in the Malegaon mayhem. The US intelligence agencies had proved that the Samjhauta Express blasts had the signature of Lashkar-e-Taiba. But the NIA ignored all these facts to focus its investigation on saffron groups. This is despite the fact that there were clear similarities between the terror incidents of the so-called Hindutva terror phase and those that followed in the coming years. Yet, an argument was put forward that the majority of the people killed in the so-called saffron terrorist attacks were Muslims and that as Islamist terrorists would never have targeted them, only Hindu extremists could have carried out these attacks."

"In the midnight of 18 February 2007, bombs went off in two carriages of the Samjhauta Express, a train service connecting Delhi and Lahore, just after the train passed Diwana station near Panipat in Haryana. The bombings claimed 68 lives. Like the 26/11 attack in Mumbai, there were attempts to link this incident to the RSS. While the script in the former case was written in the form of a book by a hardliner, this one was an official version released by the NIA. Regardless of who the culprit was, there cannot be two opinions about the fact that politics on the Samjhauta Express blasts did immense damage to India’s fight against terrorism."

"The Samjhauta Express blast was one such episode in this vicious cycle. There was ample proof to suggest Lashkar-e-Taiba’s footprint in the strike. The Indian Government had even prepared a 2000-page dossier based on this evidence and handed it over to Pakistan."

"Ironically, the attack took place on the train that symbolised the fight against terrorism. As the name suggested, it was a mark of building trust between the two nations. Targeting this train was a painful wound inflicted upon India, but ascribing it to Hindu organisations only rubbed salt on the injury."

"The circumstances, as well as the experiences, pointed fingers at Pak-based Jihadi groups. Haryana Police, who had managed to reach the source of suitcases used in the blasts, conducted the initial investigation. The attacks had clear imprints of involvement of SIMI recruits. The SIMI chief, Safdar Nagori, was said to be the mastermind of the conspiracy. The narcotics, brain mapping and lie detectors conducted upon him confirmed this suspicion. Nagori was also an accused in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts. It was during the interrogation related to this case that he revealed that some SIMI activists had colluded with Pakistani terrorists to carry out the Samjhauta Express blasts. The advanced explosive used in the terror operation indicated help from across the border."

"All these compelling facts were thrown out of the window based on Aseemanand’s statement. He went only so far as to state that Sunil Joshi had boasted the hand of his own men in the blasts. This could never be corroborated since Sunil Joshi was murdered. There was no change in the modus operandi in the police’s version; only the characters were replaced."

"This was followed by the Samjautha Express blast. This was internationally noticed as this particular train service was started as a symbol of amity between the two feuding neighbours... Interestingly, there is a reference to the Samjhauta blast case included in the series of dossiers shared with Pakistan on every bilateral mechanism. Isn’t this an official acknowledgement of Pakistani involvement? Basically, the dossier is entitled, ‘Dossier on fugitives from Indian law living in Pakistan’... The then official position (in 2007) was that this attack was carried out by an Indian group and some Indians had to stand trial for it (Sameer Kulkarni, Pragya Bharati, Purohit, Aseemananda and others). If that was the position, then why did this incident get included in the Pak dossier? The box of paradox explodes in the face of the then government when answers are sought to my questions. This would perhaps accord a clear opportunity to Pakistanis to grandstand. Or was it an escape route being offered to Pakistan to get away with the charge of fermenting terror in India, because anyone can ask these questions."

"The bogey of “Hindu terror” stands busted with the acquittal of Swami Aseemanand and others in the Samjhauta blast case by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court on March 20. This verdict is another testimony to the fact that the Congress led-UPA government manipulated and misused the official machinery to create a false notion of “Hindu terror”. Most importantly, while doing so it ignored the national interest by letting the real culprits off the hook."

"The NIA was forced to file false cases in the Malegaon, Samjhauta and the Mecca Masjid incidents against innocent Hindus while suppressing evidence against the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiyyba (LeT) and key players in the terror apparatus such as Arif Qasmani, David Headley and Pakistan’s intelligence agencies. Information was available in public domain regarding involvement of Karachi-based businessman Qasmani, the LeT and al Qaeda, Headley and his third wife Faiza Outalha with assistance from SIMI terrorists from Indore. But the investigation during the UPA decided to not only ignore this information but sought political capital from a national security issue."

"The way the Samjhauta blast case and some others were manipulated for political gain and fixing its rivals proves that Congress has succumbed to what German-born Italian sociologist Robert Michel called the Iron Law of Oligarchy. It states that all forms of organisation, regardless of how democratic they may be at the start, will inevitably develop oligarchic tendencies. As a democracy, we should reject such oligarchic tendencies. It is also time to start asking: Who should be held accountable for letting the real perpetrators of Samjhuata blast case off the hook and targeting the innocent Hindus?"