Malegoan Blast Trial: Accused Alleges Torture by ATS Officials

In his final statement submitted before a Mumbai trial court, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, an accused in the September 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, has alleged that he was subjected to torture by senior officials of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), including its then-chief Hemant Karkare, during the investigation.

By Whom?

Purohit, in a 23-page statement presented to the special court for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases, claimed that Karkare, then ATS joint commissioner Param Bir Singh, and others tortured him. He asserted that they pressured him to implicate senior right-wing leaders in the crime besides confessing to his own involvement.

The trial, now in its final stages, has seen the special court recording the final statements of the accused under section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The ATS allegedly fabricated a false case to align with the political narrative of the government in power at the time, Lt Col Prasad Purohit claimed.

It’s noteworthy that the Congress-led UPA held power at the Centre, while in Maharashtra, a Congress-NCP government was in office.

Detention

Purohit was detained by the ATS in October 2008 and taken to Khandala, where he was interrogated by Karkare, Param Bir Singh, and other ATS officials. He claimed that Karkare and Singh pressured him to admit involvement in the blast conspiracy and physically assaulted him.

The Malegaon blast occurred on September 29, 2008, resulting in six fatalities and over 100 injuries when an explosive device attached to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon, situated approximately 200 km from Mumbai in north Maharashtra. Initially probed by the ATS, the case was later transferred to the NIA in 2011.

Karkare, who was one of the police officers martyred in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has been mentioned in connection with the case.

Purohit, along with six others, including BJP MP Pragya Thakur, is currently facing trial in the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Explosive Substances Act, Indian Arms Act, and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

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