Mumbai : Maharashtra Police officer who was part of the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) that probed the 2008 Malegaon blast case has claimed that he was asked to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the case. In an exclusive conversation with TV channel, the retired officer, Mehboob Mujawar, alleged that the directive by the Investigating Officer Paramveer Singh aimed to create the narrative of ‘saffron terror’ in India.
I was directed by Paramveer Singh, and those above him asked me to arrest these individuals –Ram Kalsangra, Sandip Dange, Dilip Patidar, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. It was beyond my capacity to arrest someone like Mohan Bhagwat, who holds significant influence in Maharashtra, the officer said.
Mujawar was speaking after the trial court’s verdict on Thursday acquitting all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, in the blast that killed six and injured over 100. The retired officer alleged that the verdict exposed the “fabricated investigation” conducted by a “fake officer”, further claiming that he was falsely implicated by the Investigating Officer for refusing to comply with his unlawful orders.
Nearly 17 years after the blast in Malegaon town in northern Maharashtra, a special court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all the seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, noting there was “no reliable and cogent evidence” against them.
The ATS, which initially probed the incident, had alleged that the blast was carried out by individuals linked to a right-wing extremist group called ‘Abhinav Bharat’ and had claimed that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Pragya Singh Thakur and that other accused, including Colonel Purohit.
Read Also : Malegaon Blast Case : All Acquitted, No Proof Of Pragya Thakur Owned Bike
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