Sir: In a significant development, Swami Aseemanand, who is under the scanner for his role in Ajmer, Mecca Masjid, Malegaon and the Samjhota Express blasts, has retracted his previous confessional statement, saying that he was mentally and physically pressurised by the investigating agencies to ‘confess’ that he was the man behind these blasts. However, a senior official said that the investigation was genuine and they did not want to comment on Assemanand’s application to the court.
This new twist raises the question what benefit did the investigating agencies get by coercing him to give such a statement when they are in the habit of putting all the blame of such activities on Pakistan and the Indian Muslims? Secondly, there are doubts whether he was coerced earlier to give such a statement or pressurised now to take back all that he said.
If we assume that he was forced to say such a thing then it raises suspicions about the credibility of Indian investigating agencies. They can coerce anybody and get the desired statement. If he is telling the truth and was in fact pressurised to give the statement, then we cannot say with certainty that all those accused in the Godhra incident were real culprits. Perhaps they were also forced to confess what they had not done.
AMMAR KAZMI
Rawalpindi