In the Malegaon blast case, when Pragya, Lt. Col Purohit and his associates were arrested, the ATS seized a laptop which contained recordings of the meetings of Abhinav Bharat. In the previous instalment, we read how in one of the recorded conversation, Lt. Col. Purohit claimed that he had carried out the last two blasts. Today, we will delve into the details of that recording as well as other discussions.
By Nirendra Nagar
First, let’s understand what he thought about India’s constitution and what kind of new constitution he wanted to impose on the country.
A constitution based on Vedic religion
Col Purohit: We will fight against this constitution, we will fight against this nation; this constitution is not ours… there is only one way, to destroy it.
Sudhakar Dwivedi: It is written on the first page that the people of India have adopted this constitution. When did this happen? How can it be said that the people adopted it? Was there a referendum? No. Was there any debate on it? No.
Then how was it claimed? How can one say that it was written on behalf of the people, and who wrote it?
Purohit: If that is the case, then we must fight against this constitution. We must fight for our freedom.
Dwivedi: We have ancient scriptures for governing the state. Our Smritis are the constitution of our society. Even today, there are 14 Smritis in the country. Combine them all into one.
Purohit: We want the establishment of Hindu or Vedic religion in this country based on Vedic principles.
Maj. Ramesh Upadhyay: This constitution does not apply to us. We do not accept it. Another constitution must be brought in its place, only then will the Hindu nation be established.
When India becomes a Hindu nation, it will also need a new flag. According to Abhinav Bharat, this new flag was to be in saffron colour and have a golden torch in the middle. The border of the flag was also planned to be golden in colour. The flag would feature four flames representing the four Vedas.
The conversation is not limited to discussing the vision of future India, it also centers around the ways to achieve it. During the discussion, some people, including Purohit and Upadhyay, acknowledge that some explosions in the past, for which ISI is blamed, were actually carried out by their organization. Purohit goes so far as to say that anyone who obstructs the establishment of a Hindu nation will not only be politically ostracised but will also have to pay with their life.
In this connection, there is also a discussion on a plan to eliminate Indresh Kumar and Mohan Bhagwat. But why they wanted to do this is pretty clear from this conversation. Those who participated In it were Lt Col Purohit, Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, ex MP B.L. Sharma Prem, Dayanand Pandey, Col Dhar and R.P. Singh about whom we have read in the last episode on how he burnt 25 Muslims alive.
Major Sahib has 20 people, we will train them
Purohit: We have to fight for our constitution and rights. If Muslims can come together in large numbers, why can’t we? Let’s establish our identity as troublemakers at the national, political, and international level.
Upadhyay: Let me tell you why we are doing this. We are fighting against the constitution, which is why the BJP cannot help us in our mission. This is not a Hindu India, we will have to fight a war for it. Just talking about Ram Setu won’t be enough.
Purohit: We have already undergone two operations before this and both were successful. I was the one who managed all the supplies. We had a meeting with King Gyanendra on June 24. It was Col Lajpat Prajjwal, who is now a brigadier, who arranged this meeting. The good thing for us is that no one in the country will be able to find out who did this job.
R.P. Singh: BJP has a problem with VHP. And without Ashok Singhal and Praveen Togadia, VHP is a blind elephant.
Purohit: If VHP ceases to exist, BJP will be in the same position in the country as is the Shiv Sena. What can we expect from them? Major Sahib has 20 people and we will train them.
Dayanand Pandey: People from Israel came and asked us, we do not send emails, we only save them in draft. I also told Praveen Bhai that these Maoists will go too far and we will have to do something about them. Everyone knows what Islam is doing. Now Hindutva also needs to show its aggressive face.
Singh: A close relative (Samadhi) of King Gyanendra was sitting with us in Gorakhpur. We are uniting the Nepalese and telling them the truth. Some Nepalese are coming here. I have also been keeping Mohan Bhagwat in the loop. I told the police chief Subhash Joshi about this, and he was very saddened to know that BJP is helping the Maoists. I also contacted an old hand from Sangh, but discussions did not progress. Major Prayag Modak attended our meeting.
Col Raikar and Col Hansmukh Patel, who is the
commanding officer, are also helping us. Lajpat is from Rani Aishwarya’s side. And yes, Col Dhar is personally present here…
Our common goal – Hindu nation
Purohit : Greetings, Dhar Ji. I introduce you to all of them. We all have one goal… Hindu nation.
Singh: Some like-minded Christians are also helping us. I had very good relations with Ashok Singhal Ji. He is a remarkable person but the Sangh guys did not let him remain (in his position). In the case of Nepal, he agreed with me. But the Sangh has distanced itself from him, and because of me, Indresh’s entry into VHP is blocked. Indresh is the one who had a meeting with Mulayam and the Sar Sangh Chalak. I have been informed that Indresh has links with ISI. Even Mayawati is better than these RSS people. But she is not loyal. I met Murli Manohar Joshi
and Lal Krishna Advani and told Advani that he is making a bigger blunder than Jawaharlal Nehru. Yesterday he was giving an interview on TV regarding Pratibha. He was shedding tears, and Barkha was interviewing him. Ravi Shankar Prasad doesn’t even know what’s happening in
BJP.
Pandey: Someone told me that 54 people of the Sangh have been sold to the ISI.
Singh: There is no hope from people like Indresh who have already come to naught. And as long as such people are alive, there is no hope. In today’s situation, traditional methods are not going to help. There is no point in asking for help from Indresh. He removed B. L. Sharma and Govindacharya. Indresh made a statement in Dhanbad while flattering Muslims and all those who are creating problems (for us) are all Indresh’s own people. Sangh will also have to pay the price for its treachery.
Pandey: There is a sentiment rising everywhere that a new organization should be formed to counter the Sangh. It is the Sangh that is strengthening people like Ram Madhav and Indresh.
Last two bombings were carried by us
Purohit: I have the population data of Muslims residing in every state. But I only have three AK-47 rifles. We couldn’t purchase more because we didn’t have the money.
Upadhyay: AK rifles can be found in Cox’s Bazar, but most of the sellers are Jihadis.
Purohit: AK rifles are very expensive.
Pandey: Come on, buy as many AK rifles as you need.
Purohit: Israelis demand proof of our involvement. What proof do they need? We have carried out two operations before this, and both were successful. I was the one who provided them with the supplies.
Upadhyay: The bomb blast that happened in Hyderabad was done by one of our own. Colonel will tell you who did it.
Pandey: What if this organization gets banned?
Shyam Apte: We will give it an international dimension… and a covert name. We have to fight. Look, anyone who is not a Hindu is our enemy. As long as they are alive, we are in danger.
Contacting King Gyanendra for weapons?
In the conversation quoted above, Purohit has mentioned Israelis and Nepal’s King Gyanendra. In another conversation, he elaborates on what was discussed with Gyanendra.
- I have contacted Israel. One of our captains has come via Israel… they have responded very positively.
- We have provided everything in writing… they have asked us to wait and watch for six months.
- We had requested four things… (Number 1) continuous supply of equipments and training. Secondly, permission to open an office in Tel Aviv with the saffron flag.
- Number 3… political asylum. Number 4… support for our goal in the United Nations that a Hindu nation has been born.
- They have agreed to two things. (However) they will not allow our national flag to be hoisted in Tel Aviv because it may spoil their relations with India.
- I would also like to inform you that meetings with King Gyanendra (of Nepal) have already taken place… on June 24, 2006, and in 2007… the King has accepted our proposals… 20 people from my side will undergo officer training every six months… 40 people every year… so we will have 400 soldiers in this way. Since you (Nepal) are an
independent nation, procure AK rifles from Czechoslovakia, we will provide money and ammunition as well. The King has accepted this.
From these conversations, of which I have presented only a few parts here, you can well understand the purpose for which the members of Abhinav Bharat founded this organization
and what kind of discussions were taking place between them. You have also seen that they intended to go so far as to kill the leaders of RSS.
Purohit repeatedly claims everywhere that he infiltrated Abhinav Bharat as an army spy. Let’s assume for a moment that he is telling the truth.
But then did Purohit ever inform his seniors that there was a plan to assassinate Indresh and Bhagwat? …that discussions were going on with Israel and the King of Nepal to provide military training to people there? …that a member of this team claimed to have set 25 Muslims on fire alive? No, he never informed his seniors.
If he had done so, their lawyers would have referred to it in the courts and the Army’s Court of Inquiry (COI). Just think for a moment, if he didn’t inform the army about the plans to assassinate the top RSS leaders, then what was the intention of Purohit, what were his motives!
Purohit was arrested on November 5, 2008, and remained in jail for 9 years. No court granted him bail, solely because the recordings indicated the prominent role Purohit played in Abhinav Bharat.
Let’s see what Bombay High Court stated when it denied bail to Purohit on April 25, 2017.
‘Post-blast behaviour of Purohit suspicious’
The court stated that Purohit’s behaviour after the blast indicates his significant involvement in the conspiracy. The court referred to conversations between Purohit and Ramesh Upadhyay that took place after Pragya Thakur’s arrest on October 23, 2008, in which Purohit mentioned that the cat is out of the bag and that the police were likely keeping an eye on him. The
court said, ‘Therefore, these telephone conversations cannot be disregarded, which contradict the appellant’s claim that he was working in a covert military operation and fulfilling his duty. If that were the case, he should have immediately contacted his senior officers in the army or at least informed the police investigating the case about his role. Why he didn’t do this, why was he afraid of his arrest?’
We have briefly discussed about this telephonic conversation (in Part 2 of this series) based on which the High Court judge was doubting Purohit’s intent. In the next instalment, we will review the remaining conversation between Purohit and the retired major, which will reveal how troubled Purohit was by Pragya’s arrest and what measures he was taking to escape the noose.
(…to be continued)
(The author is a former editor of Nav Bharat Times website)
