Journalism of Courage
Bakery blast CCTV footage obtained after the blast shows Yasin Bhatkal,says ATS chargesheet
The state Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Saturday submitted in the special court in Pune that an autorickshaw driver has identified Mirza Himayat Baig,a suspect in the German Bakery blast case. The ATS also said that the alleged bomb-planter,Yasin Bhatkal,is spotted in CCTV footage of the area,obtained by the ATS after the blast. As many as 17 persons were killed and 56 others were injured in the blast on February 13,2010.
The ATS produced Baig before Special Judge N P Dhote on Saturday. The case came up for hearing before Dhote for the first time after Principal District and Sessions Judge Anant Badar transferred the case to him owing to administrative reasons.
According to the chargesheet filed by the ATS,Baig had undergone terror training conducted by LeT operatives Fayaz Kagzi and Zabiuddin Ansari in Colombo in March 2008. He,along with Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives,Mohsin Choudhary and Yasin Bhatkal,planned the bakery blast and assembled explosives at a cyber cafe in Udgir,it states.
On February 13,Baig and Yasin carried the explosive device in a private vehicle from Udgir to Latur and in a state transport bus from Latur to Pune. The duo then hailed an autorickshaw to travel from Poolgate bus stand to Pune Railway Station and from there they went to Central Mall in another autorickshaw. Yasin planted the bomb in a haversack at the bakery around 5 pm and triggered it with the help of a mobile triggering device at 6.50 pm, the chargesheet stated.
After the ATS arrested Baig,a resident of Beed,from Udgir on September 7,2010,the investigative agencies had launched a major operation to identify the autorickshaws in which the suspects had travelled. Police had appealed autorickshaw drivers to give inputs on suspects.
The ATS had booked Baig under the Explosive Substances Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various sections of the IPC for murder,attempt to murder,criminal conspiracy and forgery. His counsel A Rehman and Kaynath Shaikh on Saturday requested the court to drop the sections for forgery and criminal conspiracy against him.
Rehman said the forged documents seized from Baig had been issued from Beed,Udgir and Ambejogai between 1995 and 2005. Forgery was not committed in the jurisdiction of Pune court,so as per section 188 of the CrPC,the sections for forgery against the accused should be dropped, he contended.
Rehman said as per the ATS chargesheet,the accused hatched the blast conspiracy in Colombo in March 2008. Giving a reference from the Criminal Law Journal,Rehman argued that for a conspiracy hatched in a foreign country,it needs permission from the central government for invoking section 120 (b) for criminal conspiracy against an accused.
Replying to his contention,Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare said,The offence happened here. The accused was spotted in Pune and identified by an autorickshaw driver. The bomb planter and absconding suspect Yasin Bhatkal is seen in CCTV footage. Only some parts of the conspiracy was planned in Colombo,while the larger part was hatched in India. So permission from the central government is not required for invoking criminal conspiracy sections.
Special Judge Dhote fixed July 2 as date for framing of charges. Speaking to the media later,Thakare said that autorickshaw driver who identified Baig has been made a witness in the case.
