Samjhauta Express blast: Live bombs were first clue

PANIPAT: Then head constable of the Government Railway Police (GRP), Ambala, Suresh Kumar, who was helping passengers out of the bogies, had little inkling of laying hands on two more live bombs lying inside the train.

These live bombs were the first clue that gave the GRP a head start into the investigations. The briefcases as well as the Gehi Pet bottles, which were found filled with low intensity RDX were initially tracked to Bhopal and Indore. Much before the slueths zeroed in on now acquitted Aseemanand and three others, GRP had SIMI on its radar as the perpetrator of the twin blasts.

Kumar lives at Siwah village and had rushed to the accident site after a call from the village sarpanch to help the victims. His house is just 50 meters from spot the blasts happened.

“I called three RPF constables, who were also involved in rescue operations. We informed our seniors and safely shifted the briefcases with explosives,’’ recalled Kumar, who is now a sub inspector and in-charge of a GRP police post under Panipat police station.

“This is the prerogative of judicial system, We have nothing to say about it,” he added, when informed about the acquittal of Swami Aseemanand and others in the case.

Kumar was among the very few who were not only an eyewitness in the incident but also part of investigation team of GRP which initially probed the case before handing it over to NIA.