Sushilkumar Shinde, RPN Singh reject allegation of pressurising terror accused

NEW DELHI: Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and his deputy RPN Singh today rejected the allegation levelled by 2007 Ajmer blast accused Bhavesh Patel that they had pressured him to implicate top RSS functionaries in the case, saying they do not know him.

"I do not know any Bhavesh Patel. I have never met him. If someone takes my name, what can I do," Shinde told reporters here when asked for comment on the allegation.

In a five-page petition to a NIA court, Patel had claimed that meetings were arranged with Shinde, Minister of State for Home RPN Singh, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and senior Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh who wanted him to name RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and another top functionary Indresh Kumar.

"I deny this totally. Allegations are baseless. I was not even the Minister of State for Home at the time he was referring to. It has been only 11 months since I took charge in the Home Ministry," RPN Singh said.

Patel, who was arrested in March, has alleged that Acharya Pramod Krishnan of Moradabad had facilitated his meetings with Digvijay Singh, Shinde, Jaiswal and RPN Singh.

Patel's counsel Bhupendra Singh Chouhan also claimed that his client would make the same statement in court tomorrow.

According to the NIA charge sheet, Patel had allegedly provided logistical support to those who carried out the blast inside the dargah.

Patel claimed that he was introduced to Digvijay Singh by Krishnan in his ashram in November 2012 and arranged meetings with RPN Singh and Jaiswal too. Later, Krishnan took him to "some place" in Delhi where Shinde was present.