Date:31/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/31/stories/2008103155381200.htm

National

Army lets police question officer

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Army has given permission to the Maharashtra Police to question a serving Lieutenant Colonel for his alleged role in Malegaon blasts.

“The Army headquarters will continue to provide all assistance to the investigating agency, as and when required by them,” said an Army statement.

It is learnt that the officer has been shifted to Mumbai to facilitate the interaction with the police at the earliest.

He is posted at the Army Education Corps School in Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh.

The statement noted that investigations by Maharashtra Police had indicated the possibility of links between perpetrators of terrorist violence and the serving officer. As a result, the police had sought access to the officer to seek clarifications from him. The police have already arrested Ramesh Upadhyay, a retired Army Major from Pune in connection with the blast.

In fact, even before the request was received, the Deputy Chief of Army, Lt. Gen. S. P. S. Dhillon, told journalists earlier in the day that while no formal application had been received from the police, the Army had decided to “extend full cooperation and facilitate interaction of the officer with the investigating officials of the police.”