NIA team visit to probe Kabul gurdwara blast 'delayed indefinitely'
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Aug, 2021 11:26 AM
New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) Almost a year after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case in connection with the blast at a Kabul gurdwara in which 27 people, including an Indian Sikh was killed, a team of anti-terror probe agency was yet to visit the country, and now with the Taliban takeover, this has been "delayed indefinitely".
The NIA had in April 2020 registered a case in the March 25, 2020 terror attack. This was the first instance of the NIA filing a case for a terror attack committed outside India as per the amended NIA Act, which empowered the central agency to investigate terror attacks committed outside India "affecting Indian citizens or affecting the interest of India". The case was registered under various provisions of Indian Penal Code and anti-terror laws.
About 150 people were present in the gurdwara when the attack took place, and Indian citizen Tian Singh was also killed.
An NIA official said: "A team of NIA was yet to visit Kabul to carry on the probe. Looking at the current situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has captured power, the visit of NIA will be delayed to indefinite time."
According to NIA, Muhammed Muhsin, a 29-year-old from Kerala's Kasaragod district, was suspected to be one of the attackers. The Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
As per NIA officials, Muhsin went to the UAE in 2018 from where he is believed to have joined the ranks with the global terror organisation in Afghanistan.The official said that the anti-terror probe agency has collected DNA samples and spoke to nearly a dozen Sikh victims who were brought back to India in July last year.
Besides, the All India Congress Committee, the Maharashtra and Mumbai verified Congress handles, that of Congress Legislative Party leader and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, Mumbai Congress President Bhai Jagtap, state party social media head Abhijeet Sapkal, and around 500 other leaders at various level have been blocked on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the wreckage of the state roadways bus that fell into a 500 metre deep gorge following the massive landslide was recovered this morning, rescuers said.
Senior Home Ministry officials on Thursday reviewed the status of the investigations in the two rape cases in Delhi with officials of the Delhi Police. The review was done on the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the officials said.
All agencies such as the Crime Branch, Intelligence Bureau, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) unit, Harayana Police Commandos and Government Railway Police (GRP) have been placed on high alert.
The committee headed by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Kumar Lallu includes Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra, former MPs, MLAs and most of the former UPCC presidents.
A delegation of BJD MPs from both the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his Parliament chamber and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
