“Framed Order Against Mohan Bhagwat”: Explosive Claim by ATS Officer in Malegaon Case

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Just a day after the acquittal of all the 7 accused including Sadhvi Pragya and Colonel Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, a former officer of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has made a sensational revelation. Retired Inspector Mehboob Mujawar, who was part of the team that initially investigated the blast, has claimed that he was pressured by the then senior officers to implicate Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat in the case, so that the theory of "saffron terrorism" could be fabricated.

After the NIA Special Court acquitted all the accused on Thursday, Mehboob Mujawar made a series of shocking claims. He said, "The whole concept of saffron terrorism was a lie. I was included in this case to prove it. I was directly instructed to implicate RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat."

Mujawar alleged that these orders were given by the then Malegaon blast chief investigating officer Parambir Singh and his superiors. He said that the aim of the then government and agencies was to implicate Mohan Bhagwat and other innocent people in this case.

The former officer made another serious allegation, claiming that the suspects, Sandeep Dange and Ramji Kalsangra, who were dead, were deliberately shown alive in the chargesheet. Mujawar said, "I was ordered to trace their location even though they were dead."

Mehboob Mujawar said that when he refused to obey these “horrific” and illegal orders, he had to pay a heavy price for it. “I did not follow the orders, so a false case was registered against me and it ruined my 40 years of spotless career. However, later I was proved innocent of those false cases,” he said. He also claimed that he has documentary evidence to support his claims.

Expressing happiness over the acquittal of all the accused, Mujawar said, "I am happy that all the innocents have been acquitted and I have also contributed a little to this. The court's decision has undone the fake work done by the ATS." It is worth mentioning that 6 people were killed and 101 people were injured in the Malegaon blast on September 29, 2008. The case was first investigated by the ATS, after which it was handed over to the NIA. This decision, which came after 17 years, has now raised many new questions.