What Purohit told his associate on the phone?
Malegaon Part 2
Writer Nirendra Nagar is basically from Kolkata, which is why he is greatly influenced by the writing of the famous and veteran Bengali language writer Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay… that is why the essence of Sharat Chandra’s writing is visible in his writings … let’s find out what happened next.
When the ATS interrogated Pragya Singh Thakur, the owner of e?the bike used in the Malegaon Malegaon blast, in Mumbai, she said that she had nothing to do with it. She stated that an army officer who was learning Arabic in Pachmarhi was involved. Although Pragya did not mention the name of that officer, his number was in her mobile phone. The ATS then contacted the army to find out which officer was learning Arabic in Pachmarhi, and it turned out to be Lt. Col. Purohit. By then, the ATS had already put Purohit’s mobile phone under surveillance, and during this surveillance, a call was intercepted in which he was talking to a former army officer, Ramesh Upadhyay.
What the Purohit told his associate on the phone?
Before moving forward, let’s learn a little about both individuals involved in this conversation. Lt. Colonel Purohit joined the Maratha Light Infantry as a commissioned officer in 1994. Between 2002-2005, he was involved in anti-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. After that, he transitioned to the Army’s Intelligence Branch (Military Intelligence or MI), and when his name came up in the Malegaon blast, he was still in this intelligence branch. Major Ramesh Upadhyay was a retired major from the army and used to participate in meetings of the Abhinav Bharat organization alongside Purohit. We will discuss Abhinav Bharat further. For now, the details of the conversation.
The date was October 23, 2008, and the time was 11:23 AM. The Purohit and the pundit discuss the news published in the newspapers on that day.
Purohit – Sir, have you read the headlines of today’s Indian Express and Times of India?
Pundit – I read that the Indore Hindu Jagran Manch is being blamed for the Modasa and Malegaon blasts.
Purohit – That is, Singh Sahib.
Upadhyaya – Okay.
Purohit – This means that as far as Mr. Singh is concerned, his secret has been revealed. Here, Mr. Singh refers to Pragya Singh Thakur who often dressed in men’s clothing. In the subsequent conversation, the Purohit and Upadhyaya discuss whether ATS has any evidence or is just guessing. They also talk about Pragya, i.e., Singh Sahib’s LML Freedom bike on which a bomb was fitted, although they refer to it as a scooter.
Upadhyay – That means he is adopting a strategy to mislead… he claims that some parts of that vehicle (used in Malegaon) have been changed… and the parts that have been fitted into that vehicle belong to someone associated with ABVP in Indore or something similar.
Purohit – Okay.
Upadhyay – The simple meaning of this is that suppose someone has stolen my scooter, or I have given it for repair, and someone there has changed its parts, how would I know?
Instructor – It means there is no direct involvement there… Otherwise, they would say that this belongs to a person from Indore who is a member of the Hindu Jagran Manch and we have arrested him or something like that. They just said that we have detained 30 people and this is the work of the Hindu Jagran Manch.
On the same day, Pragya Singh Thakur is arrested, and the two talk three more times that evening. In this conversation, they discuss getting new SIM cards and hiring a lawyer and say that we should remain alert and smart. Upadhyaya also expresses doubts that Pragya might mention the Purohit’s name during the interrogation. Upadhyaya says – she (Pragya) will mention your name, but they won’t immediately be able to find your exact location. It is possible that she might even disclose your location if she knows whether you are here or there. She doesn’t know your real name either, so nothing will happen immediately.
But they were wrong. Pragya had already informed the ATS about Colonel Purohit, although she did not mention his name, but the ATS was busy trying to find out who this army officer was. It sought help from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), whose director contacted the army headquarters in Delhi and spoke to Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor.
General Kapoor asked DG (MI) Lt. Gen. D.S. Badhtwal whether any of our officers is learning Arabic in Pachmarhi. Lt. Gen. Badhtwal assigned this responsibility to Major General J.D.S. Rawat, under whom Colonel R.K. Srivastava, who was working, inquired and reported that the person is Lt. Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit. Colonel Srivastava was overseeing counter-intelligence at that time and was in the position of Director. Major General Rawat told him to go to Pachmarhi and look into this case.
Colonel Srivastava departed from Delhi the next day, i.e., on October 24, 2008. Before his departure, Lt. Gen. Badhtwal called him and said that he should find out but keep in mind that no one should be wronged. He gave an example regarding this when a grenade was found in the house of an army personnel in Punjab, and the police arrested him even though the grenade was brought by someone else living in his house. Lt. Gen. Badhtwal said that until solid evidence is found, the Purohit should be given the full benefit of the doubt. Colonel Srivastava left for Pachmarhi the next day with this briefing. What happened next after reaching Pachmarhi,
(You will know tomorrow a lot. )
Ye thin khabren ab tak, iantzaar kijiye kal dophar tak
