The Gujarat Government has decided to urge the Central Government to rope
in National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate sensational murder of two BJP leaders in Bharuch earlier this month.
Talking to the media, Gujarat DGP PC Thakur said that in the murders of former Bharuch district BJP president and veteran RSS worker Shirish Begali and BJP yuva morcha leader Pragnesh Mistry, the Gujarat police found international connections.
According to Thakur, the murders of political leaders were planned by Javed Chikna, one of the main accused in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. Chikana is reported to have fled to Pakistan while his accomplice Aabid Patel was a British citizen. Both the BJP leaders were shot dead at point blank range by some unidentified motorcycle riders on November 2. Former Bharuch district BJP chief Bangali, who ran a local weekly called Bharuch Milan, was shot dead at his printing press, along with Mistry.
Reacting fast to unfold murder mystery, Gujarat ATS arrested seven people, all from minority community, in the sensational killings of BJP leaders. The investigating officials come to the conclusion that the murder was a case of contract killing and had international connections. Three accused were arrested when they were on way from Roorkee (Uttarakhand), one was arrested from Mount Abu, while two from Bharuch and one from Nadiad in Gujarat. ATS has recovered the weapon and the motorcycle and car used for the killings of BJP leaders.
Notoriou Ilyas Joheb Ziadduin Ansari was identified as the main shooter. He was originally from Nadiad but had been living in Bharuch for the last four-five years. Haider Ali Muhammad Hanif Sheikh was with Joeb. He is originally from Surat and drove the motorcycle and conducted recce. Inayat Ayub Vora who lives in Bharuch had executed the plan for the murder. Javed Chikna, wanted in Mumbai bomb blast case, had allegedly given the Rs50 lakh from South Africa for these killings.