Faith in India's army shaken by blasts Nov 22, 2008
Six people were killed and over 80 injured in blasts on September 29 in the Muslim-dominated town of Malegaon, about 260 kilometers from Mumbai ... That has now changed with the investigations into the Malegaon blasts ... Three men arrested in connection with the Malegaon blasts are from the armed forces. (Asia Times Online)
Hindu Mahasabha raps BJP over Malegaon issue Nov 22, 2008
NEW DELHI: Apparently distancing itself from the sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur episode, the Hindu Mahasabha has said it does not support terrorism by anyone and accused the BJP of "encashing" on Hindu sentiments by coming out in support of the Malegaon blast accused. "The BJP is encashing on religious sentiments of Hindus again for their politics. Earlier they had encashed on the Ram janmabhoomi issue and this time it wants to encash on Malegaon and sentiments about arrest of Hindu religious... (India Times, India -- Community News)
'Hindu terrorism' Nov 22, 2008
It was in the aftermath of the 29 September bomb blast in the predominantly Muslim town of Malegaon in the western state of Maharashtra that the term "Hindu terrorism" or "saffron terrorism" came to be used widely ... One of those detained was a female priest, Sadhwi Pragya Singh Thakur, aged 38, who has been accused by the ATS of being involved in the Malegaon blast ... Police said the Malegaon attacks were the work of 'terrorists. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Top cops meet today on terror outfits Nov 22, 2008
NEW DELHI: With the ongoing probe into the Malegaon blast virtually opening a Pandora's box relating to emergence of new terror outfits having radical Hindus as its members, top cops of the country will on Saturday discuss how such a vast network comprising serving and retired Army personnel and known faces of religious groups could remain undetected for so long. ( ) ... Though terrorism has always been on top of the list in every high-profile security and intelligence meeting, the issue this... (India Times, India)
NSA to brief Advani on Malegaon blast probe Nov 21, 2008
NEW DELHI: Two days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up BJP leader L K Advani in regard to his allegations about torture of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a key accused in the Malegaon blast case, National Security Advisor M K Naryanan will meet the BJP leader on Friday to discuss the ongoing ATS probe ... According to BJP sources, Advani forcefully took up the sadhvi's case on Tuesday when the PM called him up to offer to share details of the investigations into the Malegaon blast... (India Times, India -- Community News)
ATS confirms Malegaon blast suspects wanted to kill RSS leaders Nov 21, 2008
Mumbai, Nov 21: In a major twist in the ongoing Malegaon blast probe, the Maharashtra ATS has confirmed newspaper reports on Friday that radical Hindu organisation Ahinav Bharat had planned to kill prominent RSS leaders for not doing much for the Hindutva cause. Related Stories The revelation is sure to send shock waves across the pro-Hindutva lobby including the Bhartiya Janata Party, which has so far vociferously supported all those who have come under the scanner in relation with the Malegaon... (Zee News)
Purohit has mentally collapsed: Wife Nov 21, 2008
Mumbai: Aparna Purohit, wife of Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Prasad Purohit, today claimed her husband "has mentally collapsed" after being accused of being a "terrorist". Purohit, arrested early this month, is now in custody of Anti Terrorism Squad. (Sify.com, India)
BJP can't attack Cong on terrorism, inflation issue: Moily Nov 20, 2008
BHOPAL: Congress leader Veerappa Moily on Thursday said the BJP can no longer attack his party on issues of terrorism and inflation after the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in the Malegaon blast case ... He said that after the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in connection with the Malegaon blast, the BJP had stopped attacking the Congress on the issue of terrorism. (India Times, India -- Community News)
Malegaon blast probe: Key suspects caught on camera Nov 20, 2008
Malegaon blast probe: Key suspects caught together on camera ... New Delhi, Nov 20: In what could add weight to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squads ongoing probe into the Malegaon blast, a video, released on Thursday, shows key suspects Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Dayanand Pandey and Sameer Kulkarni attending a function together, proving that they knew each other well ... Self-styled spiritual guru Dayanand Pandey, who heads the Sharda Samaghraha Peeth in Jammu Tawi, has been booked for... (Zee News)
ATS out to kill me: Malegaon accused Purohit Nov 20, 2008
Pune/New Delhi: Within 48 hours of high-profile Malegaon bomb blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Thakur charging Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) with torturing and abusing her, her alleged co-conspirator Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit told a Pune court on Wednesday that the sleuths were out to kill him - but was still remanded to police custody ... The Pune ATS told the court they received a complaint about this from Datye himself when he got suspicious about the licence after Purohit's arrest in the... (Sify)
'BJP is being unpatriotic' Nov 20, 2008
New Delhi: As the probe into the Malegaon bombing envelops more and more Hindu radicals, Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has described the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as "unpatriotic" for questioning the ongoing investigations ... When Hindu ascetic Pragya Thakur was first picked up for her alleged involvement in the Malegaon blasts, the BJP did not know how to react to the dramatic development. (Sify.com, India)
EDIT: Mind Your Words Nov 20, 2008
Recent statements by senior BJP leaders on the Malegaon blasts probe are now a bit alarming. On Tuesday, the party's PM-designate and the nation's leader of the opposition, L K Advani, defended Pragya Thakur, a sangh parivar activist facing charges of terrorism. (India Times, India)
Advani joins Sangh chorus for sadhvi Nov 19, 2008
NEW DELHI: BJP's somersault on terrorism was complete on Tuesday when Leader of Opposition L K Advani broke his silence on Malegaon accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh to join the Sangh Parivar chorus condemning the "barbaric treatment" meted out to a "spiritual person". In an all-out defence of the sadhvi -- Advani's tough tenor more than made up for the delay in defending the Malegaon attack suspects -- the BJP stalwart charged Maharashtra ATS with acting in a "politically motivated and unprofessional... (Times of India)
1984 Riots Wrong, Punish Those Responsible - Rahul Nov 19, 2008
But the people involved in all this (Malegaon bomb blast) are linked to the VHP.. The BJP and Hindu right wing organizations have been on the backfoot ever since the Mumbai ATS arrested two Hindu leaders and an Army officer for suspected involvement in the September 29 Malegaon blast that left six people dead. (Daijiworld.com)
Friends turn complainants against Purohit Nov 19, 2008
Posted: Nov 19, 2008 at 1138 hrs IST Nashik, November 18 Complaints by childhood friends have meant fresh trouble for Lt Col Prasad Purohit, arrested in the Malegaon blast case. Purohit was remanded to the custody of the Pune ATS after two brothers whom he went to school with, who were also his neighbours, complained that he had used forged documents to procure arms licences for them through the Army quota. (Expressindia.com)
SUBVERSE: Unholy terrors Nov 19, 2008
Now there is increasing talk of a countervailing 'Hindu terrorism', so far represented by the three accused in the Malegaon bomb blasts: Lt Col Shrikant Purohit, Pragya Singh Thakur, and their alleged mentor Swami Dayanand Pandey, a self-styled 'Shankaracharya ... While the BJP and other elements of the sangh parivar were initially chary of publicly aligning themselves with the Malegaon accused, they have subsequently rethought their political calculations and have openly come out in support of... (India Times, India)
Sadhvi alleges physical, mental torture by cops Nov 18, 2008
NASHIK: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, arrested in the Malegaon blast case, has filed an affidavit in a Nashik court saying she was physically and verbally abused and traumatised to the extent that she wanted to commit suicide ... Eight people suspected to be involved in the September 29 Malegaon blast were produced in the court and sent to judicial custody till November 29 ... "On two occasions I was even woken up in the early hours of the morning and questioned about my knowledge of the Malegaon... (India Times, India -- Community News)
Terror links: J&K ex-guv threatens to sue Mufti Nov 18, 2008
NEW DELHI: Controversy over allegations levelled by PDP leader Mufti Sayeed about former Jrnor Lt Gen S K Sinha's "links" with Malegaon bomb suspect Dayanand Pandey intensified on Monday with Sinha refuting the charges and threatening legal action against the Mufti. Along with PDP, National Conference has also demanded a probe into Sinha's connection with Pandey after Mufti said that the alleged swami had been a guest at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar during the general's tenure as governor. (India Times, India -- Community News)
ATS torturing me, says sadhvi Nov 18, 2008
Nashik/Mumbai: Malegaon bomb blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Monday filed an affidavit in a Nashik court, accusing the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of torturing her and violating her human rights ... "The ATS police came to pick me up from Bhim Singhs residence in Surat on October 10 for interrogation and suggested that I took my father along, the Sadhvi said in the sworn affidavit. She said she declined to bother her father in view of his old age and suggested that Bhim Singh would... (Sify.com, India)
Hindu anger vs Muslim anger Nov 18, 2008
The manner of the current investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police into an explosion at Malegaon in Maharashtra on September 30, 2008, which mainly targeted and killed some local Muslims should be a matter of concern to all right-thinking Indians ... I am proud to have been the first analyst to have drawn attention on October 2, 2008, to the fact that the explosions of September 30 at Malegaon and Modasa in Gujarat did not gel with the explosions carried out in other... (Sify.com, India)
Congress slams Advani for 'Hindu terror' remarks Nov 18, 2008
Investigations show that Sangh Parivar is linked to the Malegaon blast, the ruling party said. Earlier, Advani alleged that the majority community is being linked to terrorism to get votes of minorities. (India Times, India)
Tarun Vijay: Why are Hindus angry? Nov 18, 2008
Then the Mecca Masjid blasts are linked with Malegaon, then the Hyderabad police issue an official statement that nothing has been found to link the two. The motorbike, the disfigured numbers on the chassis, the absconding person, the real mastermind, the saffron terror guru. (India Times, India)
EDIT: The Law Is Secular Nov 18, 2008
The Panipat conclave organised by the sangh parivar on Sunday to protest arrests made by the anti-terror squad of Maharashtra police in Malegaon blasts has ominous implications ... The sadhus have viewed the arrest of a Hindu monk, who according to the police is linked to Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, the prime accused in the Malegaon blasts, as a political conspiracy against Hindus. (India Times, India)
Sadhvi Pragya Thakur tortured by ATS: Lawyers Nov 17, 2008
NASHIK: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast, has alleged that she has been tortured and ill-treated by the Anti-Terrorism Squad, her counsel told a court on Monday ... Pragya was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS from Surat in Gujarat for her alleged role in the Malegaon Blast which killed six and injured over 80 ... Earlier, the prosecution had alleged that the sadhvi had a long conversation with the main accused, Ramji, just after the September 29 blast in Malegaon which... (India Times, India)
Former J&K guv slams Mufti, denies link with Pandey Nov 17, 2008
NEW DELHI: Former governor of Jammu and Kashmir S K Sinha on Monday rubbished the allegations made by National Conference (NC) andPeoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders Farooq Abdullah and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed about having links with Hindu seer and Malegaon blast accused Dayanand Pandey ... They had sought a probe into reports of proximity between Dayanand Pandey, arrested in connection with Malegaon blasts, and the former Governor Gen (Retd) S K Sinha ... "Frequent visits by Pandey to the... (India Times, India)
60kg RDX not used in Samjhauta blast Nov 17, 2008
Public prosecutor Ajay Misar, representing the ATS in the Malegaon blast case, had on Saturday told a Nashik court that the pilfered RDX was used in the Samjhauta blast case ... "I told the court that the police have to find out whether the 60kg RDX was used in some blasts across the country, including the Malegaon blast. My sentence has wrongly been interpreted by some newspapers," Misar said. (India Times, India)
Are our politicians serious about fighting terror? Nov 17, 2008
Even as the Malegaon blast probe continues, political parties are using the twists and turns in the story to gain mileage ahead of elections. In the latest round of verbal duels, Union railway minister Lalu Prasad slammed the BJP and Hindu groups who are suspected of involvement in the terror attacks. (India Times, India)
The terror trio: A swami, a sadhvi and a sainik Nov 16, 2008
Mumbai: As the mystery behind the September 29 Malegaon blast unravels, an unholy nexus between a swami, a sadhvi and a sainik has emerged. For spreading the hardline Hindu fundamentalism, the Malegaon blast was planned ... The sainik, to be precise the former Indian Army spy, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, has emerged as the mastermind of the Malegaon blast which claimed five lives and injured more than 50 others. (Sify)
India Hindu suspect questioned over second blast-report Nov 16, 2008
Purohit's arrest earlier this month came on the heels of the arrests of three Hindus for their suspected involvement in blasts in Malegaon town in Maharashtra and Modasa in Gujarat state in September, and is a dramatic shift from the blame usually levelled on Islamists ... Last week Indian police arrested a Hindu monk charged with conspiring in the attack on Muslim-dominated Malegaon, which killed four people. (International Herald Tribune)
Pandey was in touch with Sadhvi Nov 15, 2008
Talking about funding in the terror strike in Malegaon case and other money transactions, Misar added, Ajay Rahirkar, treasurer of the Abhinav Bharat outfit, had given a huge amount money to Pandey and we want to establish whether it was used to procure RDX, explosives and timers used in the blast ... Pandey also attended an important meeting prior to the Malegaon blast in Pune, Misar said ... According to the police, the conspiracy for the Malegaon blast was hatched in these... (India Times, India -- Community News)
Sadhvi's arrest a poll gimmick: Sushma Swaraj Nov 15, 2008
INDORE: BJP has termed the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the September 29 Malegaon blasts as a "poll gimmick" ahead of the assembly elections in six states which are going to polls this winter. "The arrest of Sadhvi Pragya in connection with the Malegaon blast case is nothing but a poll gimmick which started before the polls...It will end once the election process gets completed," senior BJP leader and MP Sushma Swaraj told reporters after electioneering in the Malwa region... (India Times, India -- Community News)
Swami alleges torture by ATS Nov 15, 2008
NASHIK: Dayanand Pandey, alias Sudhakar Dwivedi alias Swami Amritanand Dev Teerth Maharaj, the self-styled seer arrested from Kanpur for his alleged role in the Malegaon blast, on Friday told a Nashik court that his life was in danger and that ATS officials were using third degree methods to torture him in custody ... Forty-year-old Pandey, the 10th accused to be arrested in the Malegaon blast case, is a resident of UP. He had first tried to establish himself in Kanpur. (India Times, India -- Community News)
Malegaon blast: Terror 'guru' Dayanand Pandey to be produced before Nashik court today Nov 14, 2008
MUMBAI: Mahant Amritanand alias Dayanand Pandey, arrested from Kanpur by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in connection with the Malegaon blast, will be produced before Nashik magistrate's court on Friday ... An ATS official had said he had attended several meetings in Nashik and Madhya Pradesh prior to the Malegaon blast on September 29 where Lt Col Prasad S Purohit, main accused and others arrested were also present. (India Times, India -- Community News)
Sadhvis 'guru' ready for probe Nov 14, 2008
Malegaon blast: Sadhvis 'guru' ready for probe - Sify ... Malegaon blast: Sadhvis 'guru' ready for probe ... Ambala (Haryana): Swami Avdheshanand Giri, the spiritual guru of Pragya Singh Thakur - a Hindu ascetic arrested in connection with September 29 Malegaon blasts, has said that he is ready to help the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) with the probe into his links with his disciple. (Sify)
Bhonsala school principal, clerk resign jobs Nov 14, 2008
Nashik: The Bhonsala Military School (BMS) has accepted the resignations of its principal and clerk, who were interrogated by the ATS in connection with the Malegaon blast ... Both Raikar and Gaidhani tendered their resignations to the management on Wednesday after they were interrogated twice by the Anti-Terrorism Squad in Mumbai in connection with a meeting held inside the school premises on September 16, which was attended by Lt Col P S Purohit and other accused in Malegaon blast case. (Sify.com, India)
India Terror Arrests Shock Nation Ahead of Elections Nov 14, 2008
The blast at a hotel near a mosque killed four people in Malegaon city near Mumbai. Among the accused is a Hindu nun with links to the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party and its various sister organizations. (Time.com)
Godman Pandey in Nashik court today Nov 14, 2008
Malegaon blast: Terror 'guru' Dayanand Pandey to be produced before Nashik court today-India-The Times of India ... Malegaon blast: Terror 'guru' Dayanand Pandey to be produced before Nashik court today14 Nov 2008, 1148 hrs IST ... MUMBAI: Mahant Amritanand alias Dayanand Pandey, arrested from Kanpur by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in connection with the Malegaon blast, will be produced before Nashik magistrate's court on Friday. (India Times, India)
EDIT: Say No To Terror Nov 14, 2008
BJP president Rajnath Singh has not done his party any good by defending the accused in the Malegaon blasts ... The BJP has been in a mode of denial since the ATF arrested Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, formerly with the BJP's student wing, in the Malegaon blasts case. (India Times, India)
Send your dossier on Bajrang Dal, Centre directs states Nov 13, 2008
This come when investigation into the Malegaon is pointing to the alleged involvement of some Hindu organisations ... Malegaon Blasts by D.A.eSWAR on 2008-11-13 08:39:32 ... 039444+05:30 Malegaon blasts no doubt important but day to day coverage on investigations by ATS Mumbai like a popular TV serial is unwarranted. (Indian Express)
Holy man nabbed for bomb Nov 13, 2008
Several other people with links to a right-wing Hindu outfit, including an army official, have already been arrested in connection with an attack near a mosque in the town of Malegaon in western India. Police arrested the Hindu holy man, Sudhakar Dwivedi, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. (iAfrica.com)
Central government framing Hindu leaders: Rajnath Singh Nov 12, 2008
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of deliberately targeting Hindu leaders and framing them in the Sep 26 Malegaon blast case ... Though declining to name the leader, the ATS has discreetly conducted operations in Farrukhabad and eastern Uttar Pradesh and found vital leads to the Malegaon bombing that claimed six lives ... He strongly defended Adityanath, a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, who Tuesday... (Hindustan Times)
Malegaon accused produced in court Nov 12, 2008
Malegaon blast: Dhawde produced in court - Sify ... Malegaon blast: Dhawde produced in court ... Parbhani: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra police on Tuesday produced key Malegaon bomb blast accused Rakesh Dhawde before a court in Parbhani in connection with terror crimes committed here and in nearby towns during 2003-04. (Sify.com, India)
UPA govt framing Hindu leaders Nov 12, 2008
Raipur: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh on Wednesday accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of deliberately targeting Hindu leaders and framing them in the September 26 Malegaon blast case ... Though declining to name the leader, the ATS has discreetly conducted operations in Farrukhabad and eastern Uttar Pradesh and found vital leads to the Malegaon bombing that claimed six lives ... He strongly defended Adityanath, a BJP MP from Uttar... (Sify.com, India)
BJP MP dares police to arrest him Nov 12, 2008
New Delhi/Lucknow: Amid speculation that he would be questioned in connection with the Malegaon bombings, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday dared Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to arrest him though the Uttar Pradesh police said they had no information in this connection ... "I dare the police to arrest me and I will offer no help in their probe," he added, amid reports that he was likely to be questioned in connection with the September 29 Malegaon blasts in... (Sify.com, India)
India police say they hold 9 from Hindu terrorist cell Nov 12, 2008
Police officials in western Maharashtra State said they had arrested the nine suspects and charged them with murder and conspiracy in connection with the bombing in September of a Muslim-majority area in Malegaon, a small city ... But the arrests of the Hindu suspects in the Malegaon bombing raised the possibility of another source of terrorism, this one involving a radical Hindu fringe ... Officials in the Central Bureau of Investigation told reporters in New Delhi on Saturday that... (International Herald Tribune)
Malegaon: 2 Hindu leaders in ATS net Nov 12, 2008
Malegaon: Two big Hindu leaders under scanner-India-The Times of India ... Malegaon: Two big Hindu leaders under scanner12 Nov 2008, 0122 hrs IST, Prafulla Marpakwar, TNN ... MUMBAI: After arresting a sadhvi, a serving army officer and a retired army officer, a bigger breakthrough is on the cards in the sensational case involving the Malegaon blast of September 29, which killed six people and left 89 injured. (India Times, India)
EDIT: Fall In Line Nov 12, 2008
The arrest of a serving army officer in connection with the Malegaon blasts raises disturbing questions. Maharashtra's anti-terror squad (ATS) has accused Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, who works with Military Intelligence, of masterminding the Malegaon blasts ... Six people were killed and 90 injured when a bomb blew up outside a mosque in Malegaon on September 29. (India Times, India)
How were 29 Surat bombs planted? Nov 12, 2008
The Maharashtra ATS officers are here to investigate the Malegaon blasts as well as the two cars stolen from Navi Mumbai found abandoned in Surat laden with explosives ... The Maharashtra ATS is investigating into the Malegaon blast ... There is no connection between Malegaon and Surat. (India Times, India)
Malegaon probe: ATS to question a 'VVIP' in UP Nov 11, 2008
Malegaon probe: ATS to question a 'VVIP' in UP ... Malegaon probe: ATS to question a 'VVIP' in UP ... ATS will question a 'very very high profile' person from UP in connection with the Sept 29 Malegaon blast. (Indian Express)
Malegaon blast - Baba Ramdev backs Sadhvi Pragya Nov 11, 2008
Ahmedabad, Nov 11: Spiritual guru Baba Ramdev, the man behind the yoga revolution in India, has come out in support of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who has been accused of involvement in the September 29 Malegaon blast ... The Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad arrested the Sadhvi after her bike was found to have been used in the Malegaon blast ... The ATS is treating the Sadhvi as the main culprit on the basis of her telephonic conversation with one Ramji, who had allegedly planted the bomb in... (Zee News)
Kannur: Two RSS Workers Killed while Making Bombs Nov 11, 2008
You denied malegaon blasts. You are mum on tenkasi and thane blasts. (Daijiworld.com)
Jamiat scripts political move at Hyderabad meet Nov 10, 2008
The Malegaon arrests have provided a counter to this argument but also led some to argue that they were right on Hindutva organizations being involved in terrorist activities. The Hyderabad meeting's theological positioning is quite carefully argued. (India Times, India -- Community News)
Jamiat calls for law to curb communal riots Nov 10, 2008
"The recent spate of communal violence in Adilabad, Bhainsa (both in AP), Burhanpur (MP), Dhule, Malegaon (both in Maharashtra), Orissa and Karnataka has further accentuated its need. The government must come out with an effective law so that the life and property of innocent citizens be protected and the victims get justice," the resolution on communal violence said. It also demanded speedy implementation of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee and Ranganath Commission to end... (India Times, India -- Community News)
'Malegaon, Nanded blasts may be linked' Nov 10, 2008
Malegaon, Nanded blasts may be linked'-India-The Times of India ... Malegaon, Nanded blasts may be linked'9 Nov 2008, 1642 hrs IST, TNN ... NEW DELHI: As investigating agencies try to unearth links between Malegaon and Nanded blasts, the CBI has said that it has already filed chargesheet against nine people in the Nanded blast and it could file supplementary chargesheets in case new facts crop up. (Times of India)
Anti-terror squad raids Gujarat ashram, temple Nov 10, 2008
It was looking for the swami, after his alleged role in the September 29 Malegaon blasts that killed six surfaced ... Highly placed sources in the ATS, Mumbai, told HT that Aseemanand was in touch with arrested Malegaon blast accused Sameer Kulkarni, who is also the chief promoter of Abhinav Bharat ... Though the ATS found the Dangs connection to the Malegaon blast only recently, the Sangh Parivars tryst with the tribal district dates back to the late 1980s, when Aseemanand was entrusted with... (MSN India)
I am waiting to be arrested: Thackeray Nov 10, 2008
Mumbai: Stating that Shiv Sena was ready to provide the best lawyers to defend Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, arrested in connection with Malegaon blast, Sena Chief Bal Thackeray today ridiculed Congress MP Gurudas Kamat who has demanded his arrest for backing her. "Whenever Congressmen have feats of Muslim appeasement, they dream of my arrest" Thackeray said in an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana. (Sify.com, India)
Lt-Col under scanner for '03-04 blasts Nov 10, 2008
Police want to know if Purohit, who has been arrested in the Malegaon blast case, trained the perpetrators of the earlier blasts in making and handling explosives ... Purohit, who is in the Anti-Terrorism Squad's (ATS) custody, has reportedly owned up to masterminding the recent Malegaon blast. (India Times, India)
Terror gets a female face Nov 9, 2008
Has the arrest of sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in connection with the September 29 blast in Malegaon put India in the league of Israel, Palestine, Iraq and Sri Lanka, where the woman terrorist is a familiar entity. Thakur is yet to be proved guilty of colluding in the attack, which killed six people. (India Times, India)
Investigators piece together Lt Col Purohit's role Nov 8, 2008
As investigators try to piece together his role, what's emerged is that he could have played a key role in the Malegaon blast, advising the group behind the terror strike ... Purohit is said to have told the ATS that he got radicalised when he was posted in Nasik through Abhinav Bharat, the Hindu group implicated in the Malegaon blast. (NDTV.com)
CPI(M): probe Hindutva infiltration in Army Nov 8, 2008
Referring to reports that the Malegaon bomb blast was allegedly masterminded by some Hindutva organisations, the Polit Bureau said the involvement of retired Army officers and a serving officer had disturbing implications for national security. New dimension. (Hindu)
Sangh distances itself from Malegaon episode Nov 8, 2008
MUMBAI: The Sangh Parivar has decided to completely distance itself from Lt- Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit and others arrested in connection with the Malegaon bomb blast of September 29 ... The stand contrasts with the ambivalence BJP chief Rajnath Singh showed when he said that police did not have sufficient evidence against Sadhvi Pragya Singh and other Malegaon accused ... The party spokesperson even insinuated that the Malegaon probe was a "sponsored affair". (India Times, India)
Malegaon blasts: ATS probing 2 more officers Nov 8, 2008
The ATS is likely to slap charges under the tough Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) on him in connection with the September 29 Malegaon blast ... The police are also hunting for Ramchandra 'Ramji' Kalsangra and Sameer Dange, who are suspected to have actually left the bomb on the motorcycle in Malegaon. (India Times, India)
Hindu outfits to extend legal help Nov 7, 2008
Pune: Pro-Hindu organisations have decided to start a Legal Aid Firm to support the right wing forces accused in the Malegaon bomb blasts, a leader of Abhinav Bharat and Hindu Mahasabha said here today ... Asked about reported confessions made by Lt Col Prasad Purohit regarding hatching the Malegaon blast conspiracy, Savarkar said, the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) personnel were harassing the accused and extracting statements under duress ... Savarkar, who left for New Delhi last night, said Hindu... (Sify.com, India)
Togadia alarmed by Lt-Col's rise? Nov 7, 2008
NEW DELHI: VHP leader Pravin Togadia may have styled himself as a fire-spewing radical, but he feared getting overtaken by Shrikant Prasad Purohit, the serving Lt Colonel who has been arrested for the Malegaon blast and who has since acknowledged his role in plotting last month's "revenge terror" ... ATS officers are curious to know whether fellow officers were aware of Purohit's transformation from an outspoken radical into the founder member of Abhinav Bharat, who would, as the jailed officer... (India Times, India)
Lt-Col Purohit admits he was mastermind of Malegaon Nov 7, 2008
I was Malegaon mastermind, admits Lt-Col-India-The Times of India ... I was Malegaon mastermind, admits Lt-Col7 Nov 2008, 0102 hrs IST, Mateen Hafeez, TNN ... MUMBAI: Lieutenant-Colonel Purohit, the first serving officer of the Indian Army to be arrested in connection with a terror bomb attack, has confessed to being the mastermind of the Malegaon blast. (India Times, India)
