The Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to rope in Aseemanand, who was acquitted in the Mecca Masjid blast case earlier this week, in West Bengal. He is an accused in the Samjhauta Express and the 2006 Malegaon blast cases as well.
State party president Dilip Ghosh told PTI that the Hindutva preacher would strengthen party’s base in the state. “I will talk to him and try to bring him to West Bengal so that he can work here,” said Ghosh. “For a long time, he has worked among the tribal people in Bengal. He can help us in a lot of ways.”
Aseemanand, alias Naba Kumar Sarkar, was born in West Bengal’s Hooghly district. He became involved with right-wing groups while in school.
Aseemanand’s younger brother, Sushanta Sarkar, is at present the secretary of the party’s Hooghly unit, reported PTI. “Our entire family is dedicated towards the Sangh Parivar,” said Sarkar. “If my brother comes to Bengal and wants to work here, we will be very happy.”
On Monday, a special court of the National Investigation Agency in Hyderabad acquitted all suspects in the decade-old Mecca Masjid blast case. On May 18, 2007, nine people were killed and 58 were injured after an improvised explosive device ripped through the mosque during Friday prayers. The bench acquitted them citing lack of evidence.
Aseemanand was arrested in November 2010 from Haridwar. He admitted to investigators that right-wing activists had been involved in the blast but had retracted his statement later.
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