‘Was asked to arrest Mohan Bhagwat’: Former ATS official claims after Malegaon verdict
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‘Was asked to arrest Mohan Bhagwat’: Former ATS official claims after Malegaon verdict
Mehiboob Mujawar was part of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) probe into the Malegaon blast case. He has claimed that he was asked to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. The statement comes after a special NIA court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the case, 17 years after a bomb exploded in the Muslim-dominated area of Maharashtra’sMalegaon. Six people were killed and 101 others were injured.
Retired inspector Mehiboob Mujawar has alleged that the objective behind arresting Mohan Bhagwat was to establish that there was “saffron terror”.
The statement comes after a special NIA court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case, 17 years after a bomb exploded in the Muslim-dominated area of Maharashtra’s Malegaon during the month of Ramadan in 2008.
Reacting to the court’s verdict, Mehiboob Mujawar said that the ruling undid the “fake things” done by the ATS. The probe in the Malegaon case was done by the ATS, and it was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency.
“The verdict exposed the fake investigation done by a fake officer,” Mujawar said, according to PTI.
He said he was asked to “go and catch” Mohan Bhagwat. He, however, added that he did not follow the orders as they were “horrific” and “I knew the reality.”
“I cannot say what investigation the ATS did then and why…But I was given some confidential orders regarding personalities like Ram Kalsangra, Sandip Dange, Dilip Patidar and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. All these orders were not such that one could follow them,” he said.
“It was beyond my capacity to apprehend a towering personality like Mohan Bhagwat. As I did not follow the orders, a false case was registered against me and it destroyed my career of 40 years,” he added.
Mujawar was part of the ATS team that began the probe of the blast in Malegaon on September 29, 2008, in which six people were killed and 101 others were injured.
“There was no saffron terrorism. Everything was fake,” he added. He also claimed that he had documentary proof to back his claims.
Former ATS officer claims conspiracy to ‘falsely implicate’ RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Malegaon blasts case: ‘Was asked to arrest him’
Mehiboob Mujawar claims he was instructed to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. He claims the direction was given to help establish a false terror narrative. His remarks came in response to a trial court verdict that acquitted all seven accused in the case, including BJP’s ex-MP Pragya Singh Thakur. He was part of the original investigation team that looked into the September 29, 2008, Malegaon explosion, which left six people dead and injured over 100 others.
A retired Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer has alleged that he was instructed to arrest Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat during the investigation of the 2008 Malegaon blast case, with the aim of constructing a narrative around “saffron terror.”
Speaking in Solapur on Thursday, former inspector Mehiboob Mujawar claimed the direction was given to help establish a false terror narrative. His remarks came in response to a trial court verdict that acquitted all seven accused in the case, including BJP’s ex-MP Pragya Singh Thakur.
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According to Mujawar, the verdict “undid the fake things” carried out during the probe by the ATS. He was part of the original investigation team that looked into the September 29, 2008, Malegaon explosion, which left six people dead and injured over 100 others. The case was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
“The verdict exposed the fake investigation done by a fake officer,” Mujawar stated, pointing to a senior official by name. He further alleged that he had received “confidential orders” involving key individuals, including Ram Kalsangra, Sandip Dange, Dilip Patidar, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
“I cannot say what investigation the ATS did then and why… But I was given some confidential orders regarding personalities like Ram Kalsangra, Sandip Dange, Dilip Patidar and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. All these orders were not such that one could follow them,” he said.
Mujawar said he refused to carry out the directive because he found the instructions “horrific” and was aware of the actual situation.
“It was beyond my capacity to apprehend a towering personality like Mohan Bhagwat. As I did not follow the orders, a false case was registered against me and it destroyed my career of 40 years,” he alleged.
The former official also claimed to possess documentary evidence to support his assertions.
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“There was no saffron terrorism. Everything was fake,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)