Ajmer blast accused Bhavesh Patel, who had alleged that he was pressured by Union Ministers and Congress leaders to implicate the RSS chief, has also claimed that the NIA top brass met him at least nine times in the jail where he is undergoing judicial custody to coerce him into becoming a prosecution witness.
Patel in his letter to the designated CBI court in Jaipur further alleged that his arrest was orchestrated as he had stayed at the ashram of Acharya Pramod Krishnan, alias Pramod Tyagi, at Moradabad for 18 months where NIA IG Sanjeev Kumar Singh had also met him before his arrest. The NIA IG did not respond to a text message seeking his reaction on Patel’s allegations.
Patel alleged that the IO Vishal Garg, an IPS officer, facilitated communication on his mobile phone with Sanjeev Kumar Singh and Acharya Pramod Krishnan while he was in judicial custody in Jaipur central prison to name RSS leaders Mohan Bhagwat and Indresh Kumar for the Ajmer blasts.
Before recording of his statement under Section 164 of the CrPC on March 23, he said: "Singh, Garg and DSP Jasvir Singh were allegedly present in the court room to coerce him."
After recording of his statement before the magistrate, Garg allegedly met Patel in Jaipur jail and told him that NIA would not help him as he did not name Bhagwat and Indresh Kumar. Patel alleged that NIA officials met him at Alwar jail too to pressurise him into turning a prosecution witness.
He alleged his statement under Section 164 of CrPC was "extracted through a conspiracy" by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, Minister of State for Home RPN Singh, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and NIA officials who had promised him that he would be granted bail within a month.
Shinde, Digvijay Singh and RPN Singh have denied the allegations saying they do not know Bhavesh Patel.
In his six-page letter to the designated CBI court in Jaipur, Patel has sought a judicial enquiry against the erring officials. Claiming he has been forced to die and the Congress leaders and NIA officials threatened and induced him for political gains, he said he faced threat to his life from these "influential persons may kill him." He has also urged for security cover.
Meanwhile, the Jaipur court has granted interim relief to Patel and has directed the authorities to shift him to Jaipur prison from Alwar jail by October 3 where he was transferred without due permission from the court.
lawyer of the accused Bhupendra Singh Chauhan told The Pioneer, "The final order will be given on October 3."
The lawyer had petitioned the court against the authorities transferring Patel to Alwar without permission from court and sought protection to his life. He had also said that he was not presented before the court after September 3.
Chauhan also said he has replies under RTI wherein the authorities have admitted that Patel was illegally transferred to Alwar at the behest DG, NIA.