ATS chief Naval Bajaj makes suggestion to DGP Rashmi Shukla to avoid possible backlash; The move comes amid concerns over potential backlash to officers following the release of all those arrested in the blast case
AN Roy, who was Mumbai police commissioner at the time of the investigation into the July 11, 2006 train blasts case. FILE PICS
The Maharashtra Police is discussing the provision of security to three former IPS officers — AN Roy, KP Raghuvanshi and Jaijeet Singh — who were involved in the investigation of the July 11, 2006, Mumbai train blasts case. The move comes amid concerns over potential backlash to officers following the release of all those arrested in the blast case.
According to a section of senior police officers, during a meeting of the police department, a suggestion by ATS chief and 1995 batch IPS officer Naval Bajaj regarding the security of the high-level officers involved in the train blast probe to the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla, was briefly mentioned.
In 2006, Roy was the commissioner of police (Mumbai), Raghuvanshi was heading the ATS, and Singh was a DIG-rank officer in his squad. A senior official from the Home Department, on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the development but refused to share any more details on the same.
Former ATS chief KP Raghuvanshi
On July 21, the Bombay High Court gave a ruling that overturned previous convictions of those arrested in the blast case. However, the state government approached the Supreme Court against the order. On Thursday, the Supreme Court stayed the high court order and, in its interim order, recorded the submission of the state and said that it was not seeking to cancel the release of the 12 acquitted men.
In 2015, a special court gave a verdict awarding the death penalty to five of the accused and life imprisonment to the remaining seven. All of them were arrested in connection with a series of bombs that exploded on local trains along the Western Railway network, killing 189 commuters and injuring 824.
Those investigating the case had concluded that terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba planned the attack with local support from banned student organisation Student’s Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). mid-day tried reaching Shukla and Bajaj, but neither responded to calls and text messages.
Meanwhile, former ATS chief Raghuvanshi said, “I am living like a common man after retirement.” Asked about the government considering provision of security to former senior officers involved in the investigation of the 2006 train blast, he said, “The government decides to provide security based on intelligence inputs and threat perceptions. Whether to provide security or not, the call rests with the current dispensation.”
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