With Taliban's Takeover Of Afghanistan, NIA Visit To Probe Kabul Gurudwara Blast Delayed Indefinitely

Almost a year after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case in connection with the blast at a Kabul gurdwara in which 27 people, including an Indian Sikh was killed, a team of anti-terror probe agency was yet to visit the country, and now with the Taliban takeover, this has been "delayed indefinitely".

The NIA had in April 2020 registered a case in the 25 March 2020 terror attack. This was the first instance of the NIA filing a case for a terror attack committed outside India as per the amended NIA Act, which empowered the central agency to investigate terror attacks committed outside India "affecting Indian citizens or affecting the interest of India". The case was registered under various provisions of Indian Penal Code and anti-terror laws.

About 150 people were present in the gurdwara when the attack took place, and Indian citizen Tian Singh was also killed.

According to NIA, Muhammed Muhsin, a 29-year-old from Kerala's Kasaragod district, was suspected to be one of the attackers. The Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) had claimed responsibility for the attack.

As per NIA officials, Muhsin went to the UAE in 2018 from where he is believed to have joined the ranks with the global terror organisation in Afghanistan.The official said that the anti-terror probe agency has collected DNA samples and spoke to nearly a dozen Sikh victims who were brought back to India in July last year.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)