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Published 15 Jan, 2011 08:04pm

‘Muslim boy changed Samjhota suspect’s heart’

NEW DELHI, Jan 15: A Hindu terror suspect being quizzed for a spate of terror attacks, including the fire bombing of the Samjhota Express, allegedly confessed his crime to the presidents of India and Pakistan in letters that were not delivered by his brother, according to a newspaper report published on Saturday.

Urdu daily Sahara Roznama said Swami Aseemanand wrote the letters on December 20 last year in which he shared his anguish with the two heads of states over the bombings that were falsely blamed on Muslims.

He named key members of the rightwing Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and other Hindutva elements in the attacks for which he was the alleged mastermind.

In his undelivered letters he had revealed that his change of heart was prompted by a Muslim boy he met in jail who was falsely implicated in the Malegaon blast. The bombing in Malegaon, Maharashtra, was found to be the handiwork of Hindu extremists following the confessions by Aseemanand.

The letters were apparently sent to Aseemanand’s brother who was asked to forward them to the presidents. The brother did not forward them and the letters have now become crucial evidence.

The newspaper said the letters crucially supported the view that Swami Aseemanand had not given out explicit details of his alleged crime under pressure from any investigative agencies. His confession had caused major embarrassment to rightwing groups after federal police recorded his statement on Dec 18.

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