NIA team visit to probe Kabul gurdwara blast 'delayed indefinitely'
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Aug, 2021 11:26 AM
New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) Almost a year after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case in connection with the blast at a Kabul gurdwara in which 27 people, including an Indian Sikh was killed, a team of anti-terror probe agency was yet to visit the country, and now with the Taliban takeover, this has been "delayed indefinitely".
The NIA had in April 2020 registered a case in the March 25, 2020 terror attack. This was the first instance of the NIA filing a case for a terror attack committed outside India as per the amended NIA Act, which empowered the central agency to investigate terror attacks committed outside India "affecting Indian citizens or affecting the interest of India". The case was registered under various provisions of Indian Penal Code and anti-terror laws.
About 150 people were present in the gurdwara when the attack took place, and Indian citizen Tian Singh was also killed.
An NIA official said: "A team of NIA was yet to visit Kabul to carry on the probe. Looking at the current situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has captured power, the visit of NIA will be delayed to indefinite time."
According to NIA, Muhammed Muhsin, a 29-year-old from Kerala's Kasaragod district, was suspected to be one of the attackers. The Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
As per NIA officials, Muhsin went to the UAE in 2018 from where he is believed to have joined the ranks with the global terror organisation in Afghanistan.The official said that the anti-terror probe agency has collected DNA samples and spoke to nearly a dozen Sikh victims who were brought back to India in July last year.
In a massive search operation covering 40 premises of religious trusts and other entities that preach about "oneness philosophy" and run wellness centres, the Income Tax Department has found Rs 500 crore of undisclosed income and links to investments in tax havens.
Since the scam broke out, the aggrieved PMC Bank depositors have been carrying out a series of protests in the city, lodging police complaints and filing court cases against the bank management.
Anticipating deterioration of the law and order situation and to maintain communal harmony ahead of the Supreme Court's final verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case
Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday said the national highway from the Indo-Pak border through the Kartarpur corridor to the holy city of Sultanpur Lodhi had been renamed as Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Marg by the NDA government.
