Mail Today
CBI laxity in Hindutva terror probe
Krishna Kumar
Mumbai, January 1, 2009
The CBI’s slack investigation into the Nanded blast is getting exposed with every new development in the Malegaon bombing.
Despite recent disclosures of Malegaon accused Rakesh Dhawade, the CBI has not pursued the case of two teachers of chemistry in Pune.
Dhawade, a suspect in the Malegaon case told Jalna Police how two Pune college teachers gave training in bomb-making to Hindutva terror suspects. But the CBI, which is investigating the Nanded blast that accidently killed two Sangh Parivar activists in 2006, has been dragging its feet despite questioning one of the teachers.
Dhawade arrested for his involvement in the Malegoan blast has named Sharad Kunte, a professor at Narsooji Wadia College in Pune, and K. Deo, who trained Hindutva terror suspects to make pipe bombs at Akansha resort, also in Pune, in 2003.
Kunte was the VHP’s Pune unit president for several years.
It was learnt that the CBI had questioned Kunte a few months ago, but didn’t bother to question or arrest him again after Dhawade’s statement.
Interestingly, CBI took Dhawade into custody in connection with the Nanded blast.
When contacted, CBI spokesperson Harsh Behl declined to comment. “We don’t discuss such things with the press as the case is under investigation.” Behl’s reply didn’t go down well with people in Malegaon, who feel that the country’s premier agency is deliberately derailing the investigation.
"The people of Malegaon firmly believe that if the Nanded case was investigated properly then the Malegaon blast on September 8, 2006, would not have happened. We believe it was the same group who triggered these explosions. We believe, in spite of the latest revelations, the CBI is simply not interested in probing the case,” said Maulana Abdul Hamid Azhari, a Malegaon resident.
The training camp in 2003 has been identified as one of the main camps where many Hindutva radicals were trained to make and plant bombs. For instance, a key accused in the Nanded blast, Himanshu Phandse ( who died in the blast), is said to have undergone training at that camp.
Now, in an ironical situation, the Maharashtra ATS has been checking whether the two professors could be booked. The ATS is not investigating the Nanded case, but the CBI, which has been sitting on the case for the past two years.
“We have questioned them a few times after Dhawade’s statement. However, we cannot arrest them as they have been involved in the Nanded blast, which is being handled by the CBI. It is the CBI that should arrest the men,” one of the state investigators said.
He said the ATS might arrest the two if it gets a go- ahead from the superiors. “We have sought instructions from top ATS officers. Their response is pending,” he added.
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