'Was asked to arrest Mohan Bhagwat, instruction came directly from top', Ex-ATS officer on Malegaon case

In a shocking expose, a retired officer of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has claimed that he was asked to arrest Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat during the probe into the 2008 Malegaon blast — something he allegedly declined to do, resulting in his wrongful incarceration.

Mehboob Mujawar, a member of the ATS team investigating the high-profile case, said on Friday, "I was tasked with hunting down fugitive accused Sandip Dange and Ramji Kalsangra. But at the same time, I was also asked to arrest Mohan Bhagwat. Senior officials, including Parambir Singh, issued me this order directly."

The directive was accompanied by complete logistical backup — a team of 10 officers, sufficient funds, and an ATS service revolver, Mujawar said. He alleged that he was deployed in Nagpur to carry out the operation.

But he said he refused to make the arrest, claiming there was no credible evidence against Bhagwat. "This is when the term 'bhagwa aatankwad' (saffron terror) began gaining traction.". I was assigned the duty of arresting Mohan Bhagwat, but I was not able to commit such a falsehood. I remained in Nagpur as ordered, but I didn't make the arrest since it would have been illegal and ethically wrong. If I had done so, who knows what would have become of me?

" Mujawar said. He accused his disobedience of provoking internal revenge. "Since I did not arrest Bhagwat, I was falsely charged. I was detained, put in prison and a charge sheet was lodged. I subsequently filed all the papers in court establishing that there was no evidence against the RSS chief. I was eventually acquitted. Ten years have now passed.

These papers were also filed with the NIA and included in the final verdict," he told IANS.

Mujawar's comment came a day after a special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) acquitted all seven suspects in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a former BJP MP, and Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

The court discharged all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) due to lack of evidence against the accused.

The 2008 blast took place on September 29 near the Bhikku Chowk mosque in Malegaon, Nashik district. The bomb, strapped to a motorcycle, exploded during the holy month of Ramzan and shortly before Navratri, killing six people and injuring more than 100 in the communally sensitive region.

The judgment was delivered on Thursday after almost 17 years of court proceedings in a packed court full of the accused and their lawyers, according to the court's directives. The court also directed monetary compensation — Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured survivors.

The case was huge and lengthy, with one lakh pages of documents, and the hearings concluded in April this year. The verdict was kept reserved on April 19. Of the 323 witnesses called by the prosecution, 34 turned hostile during the course of the trial, considerably weakening the case. Initially led by Maharashtra ATS, the investigation was transferred to NIA in 2011.