National

He is the founder of Hindutva terror group, say investigators

NEW DELHI: Investigators believe that Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, the first serving Indian Army officer to ever be arrested for terrorism-related crimes, was the overall architect of the September 29 bombing in Malegaon.

Purohit, who was arrested by Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad late on Tuesday night, is alleged by the investigators to have set up and controlled the Abhinav Bharat Sangathan, the Hindutva terrorist group thought to be responsible for the attack.

Indian Army officials handed over custody of Purohit at the end of over two days of questioning, during which the officer was confronted with evidence of his links with other key Malegaon bombing suspects. Ministry of Defence officials in New Delhi said Purohit would not have the option of being tried before a military court, as the offence with which he was charged was not related to his duties as an officer.

Police are still searching for key Abhinav Bharat operatives Ramnarayan Kalsangram and Samir Dange, who are alleged to have planned and executed the attack, which claimed six lives.

Five suspects had earlier been held, including Gujarat-based nun and political activist Sadhvi Pragnya Thakur, whose motorcycle was used to fabricate the improvised explosive device.

“We hope Purohit’s interrogation will give us a clearer picture of just how the actual operation was carried out,” a senior member of the investigation team told The Hindu. “And, in particular, the question of just how the military-grade explosives used in the attack were sourced.”

The officials said there was, as yet, no evidence to confirm media speculation that Purohit had sourced the explosives through his military contacts.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu