Srinagar, Nov 17: Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor LT General (retd) SK Sinha has refuted the allegations made by NC and PDP accusing him of having links with the self-proclaimed religious guru Dayanand Pandey, arrested in connection with Malegaon blasts.
Denying the charges he said, “I have never met Dayanand Pandey and heard about him only from the media.”
Lashing out at People’s Democratic Party’s Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the former General said that Mufti’s allegations are malicious and wrong and added that he is considering legal recourse after such unfounded accusations.
Reacting strongly to the charges, Sinha said, “Even I can allege that Mufti met Osama bin Laden”. He further said that the allegations are as absurd as saying that Mufti met terrorists on foreign trips.
It may be noted that the National Conference and the PDP have demanded a high-level probe into what they said reports of proximity between Dayanand Pandey and Sinha.
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The PDP alleged that Pandey stayed as a guest of then Governor.
Pandey, who frequently visited the state, was a guest of the former Governor and stayed at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar in 2007, PDP patron Sayeed said.
This showed Pandey's "connections" with the ex-Governor and this should be probed, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said.
"Frequent visits by Pandey to the state and his being entertained by the former Governor raises suspicion...," Sayeed had said.
The matter needed to be probed in the background of alleged involvement of some army officers in the blasts, he said.
Sayeed said that the alleged involvement of seers and Army officers in Malegaon blasts was dangerous, adding authorities should also probe the "linkage" of such elements with Kashmir militancy.
NC patron Farooq Abdullah has also said that there was need for a high-level probe to unmask the truth.
"Reports of proximity between the Swami (Pandey) and Sinha have shaken minorities. This should be probed," he said.
Abdullah, who is NC's Chief Ministerial candidate, sought an explanation from the ex-Governor on reports of closeness between him and Pandey.
Bureau Report