Gujarat: 2007 Ajmer dargah blast bomb supplier arrested
What's the story
On Sunday, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested one of the accused in the 2007 Ajmer dargah blast case based on a tip-off. The accused, Suresh Nair, had been on the run for years, and was nabbed by police in Bharuch. With Nair's arrest, only two others who have been accused in the case remain absconding. Here's more.
Information
The 2007 Ajmer dargah blast had killed three, injured 17
For those unaware, on October 11, 2007, a low-intensity blast ripped through the courtyard of the Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti dargah in Ajmer. The blast, which took place just after the conclusion of evening prayers, killed three and injured 17 people.
Nair
Nair had supplied bombs for the 2007 blast
Nair had been accused of supplying bombs for the attack on the Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti dargah. However, Nair had managed to escape the clutches of the law, prompting the National Investigative Agency (NIA) to announce a Rs. 2 lakh reward for his arrest. The other two absconding in the case are Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra.
Other accused
The fates of the other accused in the case
A total of 13 people were accused in the case. Among them, key accused and former RSS activist Swami Aseemanand, along with six others, were given the "benefit of doubt" and acquitted by a special NIA court in 2017. Three others - Devendra Gupta, Bhavesh Patel and the late Sunil Joshi - were convicted and handed life sentences. However, in August this year, the Rajasthan High Court granted Gupta and Patel bail.