Accused Of Malegaon Bomb Blast 2008 Was Released On Bail

Sudhakar Chaturvedi, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, alleged on Monday that the Mumbai anti-terror squad (ATS) had “falsely implicated innocent people” in the name of “saffron terror”, and also tried to frame UP CM Yogi Aditya Nath, then a BJP MP, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Talking to reporters here, Chaturvedi, recently released on bail after nine years, alleged Hindu activists were framed in the case by the then Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra in a bid to prove the theory of saffron terror “to appease Muslim voters”.”The investigators wanted to know from me about the profile of Yogi and his organisation Hindu Yuva Vahini (sic). The way they repeatedly questioned me about Yogi indicated that he (Yogi) was (their) main target, and they wanted to frame a prominent saffron-clad personality in the case,” Chaturvedi said.

During questioning, the ATS also wanted to know his connection to the RSS and its leader. He alleged that during detention, he and the other accused were subjected to torture worse than the third degree. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was held in illegal custody for a week and then shown as arrested on October 23, 2008, he claimed.

He was picked up by the ATS team at Deolali (Nashik) forcibly the next day and brought to Mumbai. After severe torture, he was taken to Bhopal in a private seven-seater aircraft, he claimed.

In the records of Air Traffic Control, a false name, “Sangram Singh”, was assigned to him by ATS officials, he alleged, adding that in Bhopal they picked up Sameer Kulkarni by contacting him from his (Sudhakar’s) mobile phone. He also alleged that an ATS officer snatched the key to his house at Deolali and planted RDX there.

After holding him in illegal custody and torturing him, bogus records were created and a pistol was planted, he claimed, adding that Matunga police registered a false FIR for arresting him with a firearm. He was made to undergo a brain-mapping test in connection with the investigation into his role in the Malegaon blast, he said, adding that he was shown arrested on October 29, 2008.

Later, the NIA took over the case from the Mumbai ATS, he said. The NIA, in its supplementary chargesheet, indicted the ATS for planting RDX in his house, he said. However, the NIA did not probe vital aspects like who funded the use of private aircraft, the source of the illegal pistol, RDX, etc, he said.

“There was much hue and cry after our arrest but the arrest of Iqbal Kaskar remained a low-key affair,” Chaturvedi said, adding that he suspected that police were trying to save Kaskar.