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.
The firefight at Sopore was the second encounter that erupted in Kashmir in less than 12 hours after an exchange of fire between between terrorists and security forces at Ganapora area of Shopian district in south Kashmir earlier on Friday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara, R. Sathiyasundaram said that Vivek Vihar police station personnel arrested the two fraudsters -- Ritik Kumar Singh, of Bihar's Ara district and Sandeep Panday, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur -- who used to make promises to provide oxygen cylinder at doorsteps, received money through digital transactions, and then, disappeared.
On the 130th day, the cumulative Covid vaccination coverage stood at 20,06,62,456 doses, including 15,71,49,593 first doses and 4,35,12,863 second doses, as per data available at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. India is the second country after the US, which took 124 days, to achieve this level.
At several places including outside the Delhi borders, the farmers burnt effigies of the Central government, hoisted black flags on their homes, farms or vehicles to condemn the farm laws and demanding their rollback as over 470 farmers' lives have been lost in the past six months.
Doctors suspect that the sudden surge in mucormycosis, or “black fungus” infection, may be linked to the use of steroids to treat COVID-19. It can result in breathing problems and coughing blood.
India broke its own previous record of Covid deaths in 24 hours after the the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday said the nation recorded 4,529 deaths -- the highest number of fatalities from Covid infection.
