German Bakery blast: Shinde rejects probe into police investigation

New Delhi: In the wake of a raging controversy over Mirza Himayat Baig who was sentenced to death in connection with German Bakery blast in Pune, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said Maharashtra ATS might have gathered evidence on his involvement in the incident but ruled out ordering a probe into police investigation. Baig was sentenced to death for his involvement in theGerman bakery blast after Maharashtra ATS filed a charge sheet against him claiming he had accompanied Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal to carry out the terror attack. [caption id=“attachment_1092527” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sushilkumar Shinde. PTI[/caption] However, neither Delhi Police nor Bangalore Police mentions the presence of Baig in German Bakery blast. The Delhi Police Special Cell said Bhatkal was with another terrorist Qateel Siddiqui. The Special cell has a confession from Siddiqui. The Bangalore Police has a similar confession from Siddiqui. Shinde told reporters here today that “at this stage, nothing can be done. It is preliminary investigation. Unless the whole investigation is done, at this stage we cannot come to any conclusion”. Shinde, however, ruled out ordering a probe to find out the truth over the conflicting views of state police forces. Siddiqui was killed in a prison in Pune in June 2012. The Home Minister indicated if Baig is found innocent, no action will be taken against him. “Whoever is innocent, no action will be taken against him. But when the action was taken, police might have got something at that time,” he said, referring to the arrest of nine Muslims in 2006 Malegaon blast case. The NIA had come to the conclusion that the Malegaon blast was the handiwork of right wing radical groups. He had said at that time that the interrogation was done by Maharashtra ATS and now with the arrest of Yasin Bhatkal, further investigation will be done and more interrogation will be carried out which will bring to light more facts. The Home Minister said all states have their own concerns and inputs and they work on it and they do inquiry on the basis of that. “Terrorists have no colour. They are terrorists. (Bhatkal’s) interrogation is on and many more things will come out in the days to come. We will work accordingly,” he said. Terming the arrest of Bhatkal as a “big” achievement of security forces, Shinde said agencies had been looking for him for a long time as he was involved in many blasts. He, however, made it clear that no foreign agency has helped India in nabbing the most wanted terrorist. Asked about underworld don and 1993 Mumbai serial blasts prime accused Dawood Ibrahim, the Home Minister said that as per available information, he was in Pakistan and this information was conveyed to Pakistan as well as the United States. Shinde said an Interpol red corner notice had already been issued against Dawood and the US has declared him as a global terrorist and India has raised asked Pakistan several times to hand him over to India. “We have information that he is in Pakistan. We have told this to (Pakistan) Interior Minister too. We want him. we do not know how long it will take but our intelligence agencies are working on it,” he said. The Home Minister also said many terrorists were still coming from Pakistan and the recent arrest of Abdul Karim Tunda was another example how the neighbouring country gives shelter to terrorists. Asked whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would raise the issue of terror with his Pakistan coounterpart Nawaz Sharif if he meets him in New York later this month, Shinde said it was too early to say that as the practice of the Prime Minister meeting heads of India’s neghbouring countries during international summit was very common. PTI