Malegaon bomb blast: Purohit had no orders to infiltrate Abhinav Bharat,finds Army probe

Purohit has been claiming that he came in contact with the masterminds of the blast when he was trying to infiltrate the group as part of his job. However,the Army apparently did not find any ground to substantiate his claim that he was part of a covert operation to gather intelligence from the group.

This is also said to be backed by the NIA’s investigation which has established that Purohit was “acting independently” and never sought the permission of his seniors. He was also not mandated to hold meetings in Kolkata,Faridabad and Indore while being stationed in Deolali,sources said.

NIA sources said that contrary to Purohit’s claims that he was secretly infiltrating Abhinav Bharat,he had revealed his identity as an MI officer to Swami Aseemanand,another key accused in the case. Citing a conversation between Purohit and Aseemanand after the murder of RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi in Dewas,Madhya Pradesh,in December 2007,NIA sources said Aseemanand clearly referred to Purohit as an MI officer and asked him to find out who killed Joshi.

“If Purohit was acting covertly,why did he reveal his identity to Swami Aseemanand? His cover,if any,was blown a long time back,” said an officer.

Investigators also suspect that a report by Purohit after the Malegaon blast naming Sadhvi Pragya and others — which is being cited in his defence that he kept his seniors in the loop — was a ploy to cover his tracks as he feared being linked to the blast after the Maharashtra ATS identified Pragya as a suspect.

The Army inquiry,sources said,has also found that Purohit violated other rules by procuring a bulletproof vest and a bugging device from his personal funds,and helping an accused in the case get a non-service pattern weapon.

Although the findings of the inquiry are ready,they have to be reconfirmed by Army HQ before action can be taken against the suspended officer. However,sources said there is enough ground to court-martial the officer and he could be dismissed.

Sources said the Army’s inquiry did not go into the terror charges against Purohit or the conspiracy to carry out the Malegaon blast. “The terms of reference of the inquiry were very clear. The Army’s mandate was to find out if he flouted service rules. Several such instances were found,” said a senior officer. The NIA has also sought a report of the Court of Inquiry from the Army.

The conspiracy will be investigated by the NIA as the officer cannot be tried for the same charges by two different organisations,one officer explained. The NIA has sought custody of Purohit along with two others and the case is being heard in the Supreme Court where Purohit has challenged the NIA’s right to seek his custody.