After Malegaon, setback for Ajmer blast, 13 witnesses turn hostile

New Delhi: In a major setback to case proceedings in the 2007 Ajmer blast, three more prosecution witnesses have made a U-turn.

Reports suggest that three crucial prosecution witnesses have now turned hostile and gone back on their testimonies bringing the total number of hostile witnesses to 13.

In October 2007, a bomb blast in the holy Ajmer Dargah had killed three and wounded more than a dozen. The NIA chargesheeted 12 people who were present and former members of the RSS.

The statements of the witnesses were recorded before a judicial magistrate to ensure there was no pressure from investigators.

However, from November 2014 onwards, they began to turn hostile claiming that they were pressurised by the NIA to testify.

This comes a few days after Rohini Salian, Public Prosecutor in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case said that she had been under pressure for the past one year to go soft on the accused Hindu extremists.