Malegaon probe: Purohit placed under disciplinary ban

With the Maharashtra police arresting Lt Col Shrikant Purohit in the Malegaon blast case, the Army has placed him under a Discipline-Vigilance Ban that would ensure he gets no promotions or new postings.

With the Maharashtra police arresting Lt Col Shrikant Purohit in the Malegaon blast case, the Army has placed him under a Discipline-Vigilance Ban that would ensure he gets no promotions or new postings and also relieved him of current responsibilities.

The ban, a routine order which came the day the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) took him into custody for questioning, would be enforced till the time the probe is completed and a report, either indicting Purohit or exonerating him in the case, is submitted, Army sources said in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Till the time a competent court of law acquits him in the case, the ban would continue, but Purohit would be entitled to his emoluments and also retain official accommodation till then.

Purohit, a Military Intelligence officer, was last studying a couple of foreign languages in the Army Education Corps school at Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh, from where he was sent into ATS custody by the Army for questioning with regard to his alleged role in the September 29 Malegaon blasts that claimed about half-a-dozen Muslim lives.

Meanwhile, as announced by Defence Minister A K Antony recently, the Army also began an internal scrutiny of Purohit’s service to determine if the record matched with unsolved incidents that may come to light and if he misused his military postings to help the main accused in the Malegaon case, sources said.

The service record was being checked to see if any arms, ammunition or explosives went missing or were stolen at a unit when he was posted there, sources added.

Also, the Army was questioning his colleagues, who served alongside him at different postings as a Liaison Unit (LU) officer, including at Nashik.

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In particular, the Army was interested in finding out when and where Purohit came in contact with one of the accused retired Major Ramesh Upadhyaya, in the case, the sources said.

The Army, in a departure from tradition, was also scrutinising Purohit’s leave schedules during his service and has shared the leave records with the ATS, the sources added.

ATS probing Army link with Thane blast accused

The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) is probing the possible links of serving army officer Prasad Purohit, arrested in the Malegaon blast case, with right wing activists responsible for carrying out blasts at theatres in Navi Mumbai and Thane earlier this year.

The investigating agency is probing the link between Purohit, arrested in connection with the September 29 Malegaon blasts, and members of right wing groups of Sanathan Sanstha and Hindu Janjagruti Samiti who were responsible for carrying out blasts at three theatres.

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Six persons have been chargesheeted by the ATS for their involvement in carrying out the blasts at theatres in Thane and Vashi to protest against the staging of a play which they alleged offended Hindu sentiments. The group had assembled crude bombs which where placed at both venues.

The CBI is also probing at the possibility of Purohit being involved in earlier cases like the 2006 Nanded blast. A Nashik magistrate’s court yesterday permitted the transfer of one of the nine arrested in the Malegaon blast case, Rakesh Dhawade, to the Aurangabad ATS following evidence being found of his involvement in the Nanded and 2004 Jalna blast.

The ATS has also sought permission to interrogate a leader from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the Malegaon blast case and was been granted permission by the Nasik court.

The name of the leader was not disclosed and the permission of the court had been taken to ensure the co-operation of the government machinery there, ATS officials said.