Murders of BJP leaders in Gujarat: NIA gets remand of Nasirkhan Pathan

Ahmedabad

A special court here today remanded Nasirkhan Pathan, arrested in connection with the double murder of BJP leaders in Bharuch last month, in National Investigation Agency’s custody until December 21.

NIA produced Pathan, arrested yesterday, before the NIA court here and sought 14-day custody.

The proceedings in the court of principal judge P B Desai were held in-camera on NIA’s request.

As per a statement issued by NIA yesterday, Pathan had allegedly provided the weapon used for killing Shirish Bangali and Pragnesh Mistry in Bharuch on November 2.

Bangali was former Bharuch district BJP president and senior RSS member and Mistry was general secretary of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha for the district. They were shot dead by two assailants in Bharuch.

Eleven persons, including two sharp shooters, had been arrested in connection with the case which was initially investigated by the Bharuch Police and state ATS.

Police had termed the killings as an ‘act of terror’ citing alleged involvement of the absconding accused of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, Javed Chikna.

The probe has shown that the contract for murders was allegedly given by Chikna, apparently to avenge riots in Mumbai during 1993 and in Gujarat during 2002.

Days before the case was handed over to NIA, ATS had apprehended Chikna’s brother Abid Patel from Indo-Nepal border.

The Home Ministry had handed over the probe to NIA early this month, following which the agency filed an FIR in the NIA court here on December 5.

PTI