13/11/08, ToI
MUMBAI: Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who shocked the country by turning out to be the first serving officer to have been allegedly involved in a terror plot, has now left the investigating agencies completely baffled by the statements he made during the narco-test.
According to sources, Purohit told his interrogators that he had roped in some members of Malegaon's Muslim population to assemble the bomb and plant it near the SIMI office in the weavers' town on September 29 this year. The Army officer said the logistics for the blast were provided by fanatical Hindus, according to sources close to the investigation.
During the second narco-test that he was subjected to in Bangalore on Wednesday, Purohit, sources said, admitted that he monitored the Malegaon operation at the instance of a Faridabad-based spiritual mentor of Abhinav Bharat who was exhorting his followers to retaliate for ``atrocities against Hindus,'' including the murder of VHP's Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati in Orissa.
Investigators have so far not been able to identify the guru. Investigators said Purohit's answers indicated that the Hindu conspirators in the Malegaon operation did not know what their Muslim counterparts were doing. If true, they also speak of his success in infiltrating not only Hindu organisations but also Muslim groups.
Results of narco-tests are not admissible in court as evidence. Their reliability has been called to question also because the replies are in response to leading questions, and the subject is semi-conscious. In fact, it is also felt that that someone with an army training like Purohit can beat the test. If Purohit was misleading his handlers, this could be to save his fellow Hindutva radicals. If that was his intention, he did a good job of it.
During the narco-test, Purohit gave details of how he recruited Muslims for the Malegaon plot. According to sources, he said that RDX used in the blast was procured from a colony in Pune which is inhabited by Kashmiri Muslims. The officer claimed to have directed the bombmakers to the colony, who assembled the device in Nasik's Bhadrakali area.
The Army officer is reported to have said that the entire operation cost only Rs 25,000.
(Readers post your comments below)
MUMBAI: Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit, who shocked the country by turning out to be the first serving officer to have been allegedly involved in a terror plot, has now left the investigating agencies completely baffled by the statements he made during the narco-test.
According to sources, Purohit told his interrogators that he had roped in some members of Malegaon's Muslim population to assemble the bomb and plant it near the SIMI office in the weavers' town on September 29 this year. The Army officer said the logistics for the blast were provided by fanatical Hindus, according to sources close to the investigation.
During the second narco-test that he was subjected to in Bangalore on Wednesday, Purohit, sources said, admitted that he monitored the Malegaon operation at the instance of a Faridabad-based spiritual mentor of Abhinav Bharat who was exhorting his followers to retaliate for ``atrocities against Hindus,'' including the murder of VHP's Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati in Orissa.
Investigators have so far not been able to identify the guru. Investigators said Purohit's answers indicated that the Hindu conspirators in the Malegaon operation did not know what their Muslim counterparts were doing. If true, they also speak of his success in infiltrating not only Hindu organisations but also Muslim groups.
Results of narco-tests are not admissible in court as evidence. Their reliability has been called to question also because the replies are in response to leading questions, and the subject is semi-conscious. In fact, it is also felt that that someone with an army training like Purohit can beat the test. If Purohit was misleading his handlers, this could be to save his fellow Hindutva radicals. If that was his intention, he did a good job of it.
During the narco-test, Purohit gave details of how he recruited Muslims for the Malegaon plot. According to sources, he said that RDX used in the blast was procured from a colony in Pune which is inhabited by Kashmiri Muslims. The officer claimed to have directed the bombmakers to the colony, who assembled the device in Nasik's Bhadrakali area.
The Army officer is reported to have said that the entire operation cost only Rs 25,000.
(Readers post your comments below)
Sir,
ReplyDeleteMany would say Army being involved in such an act is sad. Let's not forget Army personnel are Human Beings too. In India the so called Seculars (I would call them Dummy seculars) always speak for the minorities and the majority Hindus are uncared for, be it Quotas, Subsidies, etc, etc,.
Proven terrorists like Afzal Guru get all round support even from Human Rights Organisations and these Dummy Seculars failed even to hang this beast Afzal. The moment a Hindu name came up these seculars again jumped up to announce "Hindu Terrorists" just to please vote bank.
Iam sad to say though Hindus are tolerant, tolerancy has a limit too. The statement of Purohit that he attacked in retaliation to "atrocities against Hindus, including the murder of VHP's Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati in Orissa" proves that the patience is running high. It is high time these Dummy Seculars really transform else it would be end of Minorities if the subverted majority strikes back.
Vivek Karwa