“Ordered to Arrest RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat”: Malegaon Officer
Former ATS Officer Mehboob Mujawar Alleges "Saffron Terror" Conspiracy After All Accused Are Acquitted.
- A former Malegaon blast probe officer, Mehboob Mujawar, claims he was ordered to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat during the investigation.
- Mujawar alleges that the order came from the then Chief Investigation Officer Param Bir Singh to create a “saffron terror” narrative.
- His remarks follow the acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 blasts case due to a lack of evidence.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st Aug: In a sensational claim following the acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, a former probe officer has alleged that the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) was ordered to arrest Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat during the investigation.
Mehboob Mujawar, who was part of the initial ATS team, told NDTV that he was instructed by his senior, the then Chief Investigation Officer Param Bir Singh, to arrest Bhagwat to “make it appear like a saffron terror case.” The claim comes a day after a special court in Mumbai acquitted all the accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, due to a lack of “reliable and cogent” evidence.
Mujawar further alleged that an attempt was made to take the probe in a “wrong direction” and that false cases were registered against him for objecting to the plan. He said he was aware of confidential information and knew the claims were false, which is why he was targeted.
The former officer’s remarks have renewed the political debate over the investigation. Reacting to the claims, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The 2008 conspiracy has been exposed. The then government created words like Hindu terror and saffron terrorism… that’s the reason why Hindu terrorism theory was created.”
The BJP has consistently alleged in the past that the investigation was politically motivated to defame right-wing leaders. Mujawar’s statements have bolstered this narrative. Param Bir Singh, the officer accused by Mujawar, was suspended in 2021 amid allegations of misconduct and later had charges dropped against him by the Eknath Shinde government.
The special court, in its acquittal on Thursday, noted that while a bomb blast was proven to have occurred, the prosecution failed to establish that the explosive was planted on the motorcycle or that the accused were responsible.
