Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit, the serving Army officer being questioned by the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra Police in connection with the Malegaon blasts, belongs to the Intelligence Corps and was posted in Nashik with the Army’s Liaison Unit (ALU). It was there that he first got in touch with Major (retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, the ex-Army officer who is currently in police custody for his alleged role in the blasts.

Sources in Delhi said that Purohit was moved from Nashik last year to take a Chinese language course at the Army Education Corps College in Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, where he is currently posted.

Army Headquarters confirmed that ATS officials met Purohit to “seek clarification from him so as to proceed with further investigations.”

“The officer has been called to help the ATS in their investigations as he was in touch with some of the suspects as part of his posting. As a Liaison Unit officer, he was in touch with several people, including ex-servicemen in the region,” a senior Army Officer in New Delhi said.

While Purohit has been moved to Mumbai by Army Headquarters to “facilitate” interaction with the ATS, sources confirmed he had been in constant touch with Upadhyay and some other suspects in the blasts during his tenure in Nashik and may have even attended some meetings at the Bhonsala Military School.

Sources said Purohit was also being questioned on his role in Abhinav Bharat, the Pune-based organization founded by Upadhyay. This is emerging as the common link between Upadhyay, ABVP member Sameer Kulkarni and Purohit.

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