Malegaon blast verdict: Who is Lt Col. Prasad Purohit? The army officer who faced terror charges and walked free after court's acquittal

Time of India

2 days ago

NEW DELHI: Lt Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit is an Indian Army officer who became a central figure in one of the most controversial terror cases in the country's recent history the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
At the time of his arrest, he was serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in military intelligence.
On September 29, 2008, a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded near a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra, killing six people and injuring over 100. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Lt Col. Purohit in November 2008 for allegedly being part of the conspiracy that led to the blast.
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His arrest marked the first time a serving army officer had been implicated in a terrorism-related case in the country.
Purohit spent nearly nine years in custody before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2017.
The case against him and others became politically and socially contentious, especially after the term 'Hindu terror' entered the public discourse.
Purohit himself claims this phrase was first used shortly before the blast by a political party leader, suggesting a narrative was being framed even before the event.
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In his final statement before a special NIA court, Purohit denied all charges, calling the entire case a fabrication. He alleged that senior officers of the ATS tortured him physically and mentally during his illegal detention in Khandala, where he claims he was treated 'worse than a prisoner of war.'
He also alleged that he was pressured to name prominent leaders from right-wing organisations like the RSS and VHP, including now-Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.
Purohit claimed that false evidence, including RDX, was planted to implicate him.
According to his court statement, witnesses were coerced, threatened at gunpoint, and tortured into giving statements dictated by the ATS to align with a political agenda.
He accused investigating officers of having orchestrated extra-judicial killings of other suspects and fabricating evidence to fit a pre-decided narrative.
He further argued that his work in military intelligence which included reports on fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's alleged links to Maoist groups and an intelligence brief on Zakir Naik's funding activities may have made him a target.
He believes these reports, which also named certain politicians, could have contributed to his framing.
Despite the years-long legal ordeal, Lt Col. Purohit was reinstated in the Army pending trial and continued to serve.
'Even after coming out on bail, my conviction never changed,' he said on Thursday, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to keep serving the nation.
A special court acquitted all seven accused, including him, in the Malegaon blast case, stating there was 'no reliable and cogent evidence' against them.
The court underscored that terrorism has no religion and that convictions cannot be based on mere perception.
Reflecting on his long battle, Purohit remarked, 'No investigating agency is wrong; it is the people serving in these agencies who are wrong. This nation is great. We must take care that wrong people do not rise and make people like us suffer.'