Ajmer Dargah blast: 2 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment – 10 facts to know

Bhavesh Patel is an RSS activist belonging to Bharuch in Gujarat whereas Devendra Gupta is a resident of Ajmer and he worked for RSS in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.

New Delhi, Mar 22: A special National Investigative Agency (NIA) court in Jaipur pronounced life imprisonment for the two accused, Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel, in the Ajmer Dargah blast case. The Court in its verdict on March 8 convicted Sunil Joshi, Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel in the case. Out of the three convicted, Sunil Joshi was murdered in 2007. Due to lack of evidence, the court on March 8 acquitted Swami Aseemanand from all the charges.

The court in its decision convicted Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for criminal conspiracy and under sections of Explosive Substance Act and Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act. A blast in the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti on October 11, 2007, at the time of Roza iftar, led to the killing of three pilgrims and left 15 others injured.

Ajmer Dargah Blast – 10 Facts

• The Ajmer Dargah blast of October 11, 2007, left three dead and 15 injured. The case was handed over to the Rajasthan ATS. Later, the case was handed over to NIA which re-registered the case with NIA police station on April 6, 2011.
• Swami Aseemanand was alleged to be the prime accused of the blast and two FIRs were registered against Swami Aseemanand in 2007. Later, the NIA in its charge sheet filed in 2011 accused Aseemanand of masterminding the blast. The charges against him included murder and spreading of communal hatred.
• Caravan magazine in its report had earlier quoted Swami Aseemanand stating that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, the then RSS general secretary had asked him not to link the blast with the Sangh. “It is very important that it be done. But you should not link it to the Sangh,” the magazine quoted.
• Swami Aseemanand is also accused in several other cases including Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid blast of 2007 and explosion in the Samjhauta Express of 2007. Aseemanand was jailed in 2010 after he allegedly admitted his involvement in the terror attack on the train. However, he later made a u-turn stating that he was tortured to give a false statement.
• On March 8, the court acquitted Swami Aseemanand out of all charges. In its decision, the court had convicted Sunil Joshi, Devendra Gupta and Bhavesh Patel in the case. Out of the three, Sunil Joshi was murdered in 2007. Three of the 13 accused in the case have been absconding.
• The convictions against the convicted were made under Sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of IPC, Sections 16 and 18 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and 3/4 of Explosive Substances Act.
• Patel and Gupta had earlier been fined Rs 1 lakh each. Joshi was shot dead by two motorbike-borne men on December 29, 2007, in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh.
• Bhavesh Patel is an RSS activist belonging to Bharuch in Gujarat whereas Devendra Gupta is a resident of Ajmer and he worked for RSS in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
• The magistrate also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Bhavesh Patel and Rs 5,000 on Devendra Gupta.
• A total of 149 verdicts were prosecuted in the case. Out of the 149 witnesses, 29 witnesses turned hostile in the case. The investigative body also filed three supplementary charge sheet in the case. A total of 451 documents were examined.