A day after the acquittal of all seven accused persons in the Malegaon blast case, a retired officer of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Mehboob Mujawar on Tuesday claimed that he was instructed to arrest high-profile figures, including RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, to support a ‘saffron terror’ narrative.
Mujawar told media, “I was directed by Param Bir Singh Controversial retired Mumbai Police Commissioner) and those above him asked me to arrest these individuals — Ram Kalsangra, Sandip Dange, Dilip Patidar and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. It was beyond my capacity to arrest someone like Mohan Bhagwat, who holds significant influence in Maharashtra.” He further accused the investigating officer of allegedly carrying out a “fabricated investigation.”
“I was given the responsibility to track down absconding accused Sandip Dange and Ramji Kalsangra. But along with that, I was also told to arrest Mohan Bhagwat in 2009. This instruction came directly from senior officials, including Param Bir Singh,” reiterated ex-ATS Officer Mehboob Mujawar.
Mujawar said he was officially equipped for the task, with a team of 10 personnel, sufficient funding and even a service revolver was provided by the ATS.
The Malegaon blast, which occurred nearly 17 years ago in 2008, saw a significant development with a special Mumbai court on Monday acquitting all the seven accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit. The court stated there was “no reliable and cogent evidence” to support the prosecution’s claims.
The retired police officer also alleged, “They asked me to file a chargesheet showing dead people as alive. When I refused, the then IPS officer, Param Bir Singh, implicated me in a false case... I protested because I did not want to engage in false work and as a result, fabricated cases were registered against me.”
“I didn’t make any allegations, but presented what has been on the record. It has been proved in court. It is not about political pressure; rather, my boss, Param Bir Singh and other top officials instructed me to arrest Mohan Bhagwat. There was this concept of ‘bhagwa atankwaad (saffron terror)’ running in the media. However, I refused to do this and was punished for it. I was arrested and put in jail. I was defamed,” reiterated Mujawar.
In 2009, Mujawar faced series of cases from Mumbai Police, leading to suspension from service. He faced charges of submission of fake medical certificates, corruption. Later in 2015, Mujawar was acquitted from all charges filed by police, while he denied promotion above Deputy SP. Mujawar welcomed the Malegaon verdict, acknowledging procedural lapses and unreliable testimonies that weakened the prosecution.