NIA to investigate murders of Gujarat BJP leaders, sniffs Pakistan's role

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency ( NIA) is probing if there was a 'bigger conspiracy' behind the murders of two BJP functionaries in Gujarat's Bharuch district last month, allegedly at the behest of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts accused and underworld don Javed Patel, known as Javed Chikna.

Sources said the NIA is looking at whether the murders were committed with a possible motive to trigger communal unrest across the country. They are not ruling out the possible involvement of Pak agencies and Dawood Ibrahim in the move to eliminate BJP functionaries with known “communal“ image.

The NIA dispatched an IGrank officer to Bharuch on Tuesday to monitor the investigations and unearth the conspiracy behind targeting BJPSangh members. An NIA team is already questioning two contract killers -Abid Dawood Patel (Javed Chikna's brother) and Salim Ganchi -who were allegedly paid Rs 50 lakh for the killings.

Former president of the party's Bharuch district and senior RSS member Shirish Bangali and the district general secretary of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha Pragnesh Mistry were shot dead on November 2. Abid and Salim were among seven suspects arrested by Gujarat police. NIA has registered a case under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and other sections.

It is suspected that Javed Chikna had a hitlist of BJP and RSS functionaries. The NIA, Gujarat police and IB are trying to ascertain which other BJP and RSS members were on the hit-list of Chikna, who was reportedly operating from South Africa at the behest of Dawood's right hand man Chhota Shakeel.

What kept the agencies on the toes is that PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Kutch for DGIG conference, taking place from December 18 to 20.