Another junior army officer is also being questioned but ATS sources refused to disclose his name. Both officers are said to be associated with the Bhonsala Military School in Nashik, which also has a branch in Nagpur. ATS chief Hemant Karkare said that three people from Indore had been detained, numerous others being questioned but added that there were no fresh arrests. The detentions come on the back of the arrest of the sadhvi from near Surat and two Hindu activists from Indore last week.

While the ABVP, the Hindu Jagran Manch as well as other Sangh Parivar outfits such as the BJP and the RSS have denied any links with the blasts or the three people arrested in connection with them, fresh information emerged today that Major Upadhyay headed the Mumbai unit of the BJP’s ex-servicemen’s cell. Serving office-bearers of the cell, who did not want to be identified, said that Upadhyay was removed from the post “after he committed some mistakes”. One office-bearer said that Upadhyay had also been paid by the party for his work but he was not connected with the BJP after his removal from the post.

Sources in Pune said that Kulkarni was also suspected to be associated with Sadhvi Pragya, other Hindu groups and was active in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area. His name had come up during the attack on Pastor Peter David Silway of Vineyard Worker’s Church in Dapodi in August last year. Abraham Mathai, Vice-Chairman of the State Minorities Commission and General Secretary of the All Indian Christian Council, had then named five people, including Kulkarni, as allegedly associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and involved in the attack. Pastor Silway’s car was stoned by motorcycle-borne youth on a bridge linking Dapodi and Bopodi.

... contd.