New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) An Indian Army officer has been arrested for his suspected involvement in the Sep 29 bomb blast in Maharashtra's Malegaon which killed five people and was blamed on a Hindu militant group, a defence official said here Wednesday.This is the first case of a serving Indian Army officer being taken into police custody for terrorism related activities.
Mumbai's anti-terrorism squad arrested Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit late Tuesday, said the defence official, who pleaded anonymity because his service rules do not allow him to speak to the media on record.
Purohit, said to be a founding member of the Abhinav Bharat, a radical Hindu right-wing group, was being questioned for his "links" with other suspects of the Malegaon blasts.
Members of the Abhinav Bharat have been linked to the deadly bombing in Malagaon. The police suspect that Purohit helped bomb blast accused Sadhvi (Hindu missionary) Pragya Thakur, retired army Major Ramesh Upadhyaya and his associate Sharad Kulkarni in procuring explosives used in the blast. The three are already in police custody.
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Army denies arrest of Lt. Colonel Purohit in Malegaon blasts case
New Delhi, Nov 5 (ANI): The Army today denied arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Purohit by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with the September 29 Malegaon blasts.
The army officer, who came under the scanner for his alleged role in the blasts, was stationed at the Army Education Corps Training College and Centre at Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh. He was doing a course in Arabic at the Army Education Corps College.
The officer is not under arrest. He has been accordingly detained by the ATS for the questioning. The Army Headquarters will take a further view on the matter based on progress of investigation by the ATS an availability of additional evidence, if any, said Veerendra Singh, APRO Army.
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