Attempt to link ’08, ’06 Malegaon blasts fails

The interrogation of September 2008 Malegaon blast accused Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit in connection with the September 2006 Malegaon blasts has yielded nothing substantial.“No substantial material has come up during Purohit’s interrogation,” said a person in the know in the Central Bureau of Investigation. “We have not found anything incriminating against him.”The sources, who requested anonymity for lack of authorisation to talk to the media, said further investigations were on. The CBI had sought the permission of the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court to interrogate Purohit and others accused in last year’s September 29 blast case.The sources said since the CBI took over the September 8, 2006, blasts investigation, the only development in it had been the interrogation application.It was reported on January 23 that September 28 accused Sadhvi Pradnya Singh Thakur and Ajay Rahirkar, a member of Abhinav Bharat, told the Anti-Terrorism Squad Lt Col Purohit had been instrumental in engineering the Orissa, the Karnataka and the Ajmer-e-Sharif blasts.The army officer was also alleged to have played a role in the Nanded blasts, but the CBI denied it had questioned him on the case.“We have not questioned Purohit in connection with Nanded,” said CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal.