Dream of becoming officer shattered by NIA arrest:Rajendra Chaudhary acquitted after 16 years; cleared PSC exam in first attempt

A dream of becoming an officer and serving society was shattered when the NIA arrested him during a Ramayan recitation in a village near Nagda. He had cleared the PSC prelims in his first attempt. Instead of becoming an officer, he was labelled an accused. This is the personal account of Rajendra Chaudhary from Depalpur, who was acquitted by the court in the Malegaon blast case on 22 April 2026. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 15 December 2012 from Piploda Bagla village. He had been accused of involvement in the Malegaon blast of September 2006, the Samjhauta Express blast of 18 February 2007, and the Mecca Masjid Hyderabad blast of 18 May 2007. Earlier, he was also acquitted in the Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blast case on 16 April 2018 and in the Samjhauta Express blast case on 20 May 2019. Rajendra Chaudhary lives in Dhakad Seri village in Depalpur, about 42 km from Indore. Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, he narrated his 16-year-long ordeal, alleging severe torture in custody and pressure to give false statements. Read the report. Arrested during Ramayan recitation, taken away by NIA Rajendra said the Mumbai High Court has ruled in their favour, and they always had faith in the judiciary and law. According to him, justice has finally prevailed. He said he spent his childhood and education in Depalpur. After completing B.Com, he cleared the MPPSC prelims, but the NIA case changed the course of his life. The NIA arrested him late at night on 15 December 2012 from Piploda Bagla village while he was reciting Ramayan. He was taken on transit remand to Haryana and first produced before a special court in Panchkula on 17 December 2012, after which he was sent to NIA custody for interrogation. 2 years spent in hiding in Jammu and Kashmir A close associate said he was taken to Hyderabad jail as an accused in the mosque blast case, and the entire city was turned into a cantonment to prevent any attack on him. He was allegedly tortured in jail. Before his arrest, he also spent around two years in hiding in Jammu and Kashmir. Rajendra was first acquitted on 29 January 2014 in the murder case of Ujjain gangster Mujib Lala. He had been named in the 2002–2003 case and was living under the alias Samandar Singh during his time in hiding. It was during this period that the NIA arrested him. No sleep allowed in custody, allegations of torture Rajendra said that after his arrest, he was kept alone in a dark cell and threatened that his family would also be implicated in the blast cases. He alleged he was not allowed to sleep and was forced to stand or sit in the same position for hours. He further alleged he was beaten to force signatures on blank papers and pre-written statements. He said electric shocks were also given, leaving his hands and legs numb. When asked about contesting elections after acquittal, he said it would depend on public and workers’ support, and no political offer has been received so far.