Times of India
27 November 2008
Malegaon blast suspects' goal was to make India a 'Hindu Rashtra'
by Mateen Hafeez, TNN
MUMBAI: Investigations into the September 2008 Malegaon blast have revealed that the suspects were looking beyond maiming the textile town. They
were actually working to convert India into a Hindu Rashtra by 2025.
"Interrogation of Sudhakar Dwivedi alias Dayanand Pandey, who is in police custody till December 1, has revealed that the group was working to create an `Aryavarta Rashtra' in India,'' an Anti-Terrorism Squad official said. "They wanted to make India like what it was when it was ruled by the Aryans; their dream was to convert the country into a Hindu Rashtra and an Akhand Bharat,'' an official said.
The suspects planned to infiltrate government departments everywhere in the country with like-minded people and then convert India from a secular country into a Hindu Rashtra, officials said. "They had also planned their life in exile if their conspiracy was foiled and they happened to be ousted by the government. Purohit assured some of the other accused that they would contact other nations for asylum if they faced any problem,'' one of them added.
But why did interrogation of Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit not reveal this "fact''? An official explained: "We did not imagine that the suspects would have such a plan. Our main focus was probing the Malegaon blast and so compiled questions focusing only on the blast for narco-analysis. It was only after the examination of Dwivedi's laptop that we came to know about all this.''
Dwivedi, arrested from Kanpur on November 14 for a suspected role in the Malegaon blast, is accused of instructing Purohit to procure the RDX and execute the blast. The ATS has arrested 11 people, including Captain (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay and sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.
Dwivedi is also believed to have told ATS sleuths that he first joined the Indian Air Force in 1989 but opted out in 1990.
Officials managed to seize his two laptops before he could destory them. "The police found records of over 15 meetings Dwivedi had with the others accused in the blast. Purohit used to videograph these meetings and, at one of these meetings, Abhinav Bharat convener Sameer Kulkarni is seen discussing funds collected for their cause,'' an official said.
Special public proscutor Rohini Salian has told a MCOCA court in Mumbai that Dwivedi is clearly heard asking others to "now listen to my plan'' about the blast. "We have to do our duty in the interest of the nation and justice,'' Salian said, referring to the larger conspiracy in the case. Dwivedi is also seen talking about RDX, remote controls, timers, short- and long-rage weapons and the conspiracy, Salian has told the court.
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ATS searches Purohit's bungalow
Pune: The Pune unit of Maharashtra ATS on Wednesday searched Lt Col Prasad Purohit's bungalow on Law College Road for the second time since his arrest 22 days ago. Purohit was arrested by ATS, which is investigating the Malegaon bomb blast case, on November 4.
A team of Pune ATS arrived at Purohit's house at noon. Purohit's sister and grandmother were present in the house during the search, according to one of his relatives. He said Purohit's wife was not present at the time of the search.
ATS officials said the search operation, which lasted for around four hours, was part of a "routine search.'' The officials said they wanted to check if any arms, explosive material or important documents were hidden in the house.
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