New Delhi: A letter written by Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has revealed that the Army officer was beaten, abused and tortured while he was in custody of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Times Now has accessed a 24-page letter in which Lt Col Purohit reveals the horror he had to face a few years back. Lt Col Purohit was granted bail in the 2008 Malegaon blast case in August last year by the Supreme Court.
In the letter written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by Lt Col Purohit in December 2013 from the Navi Mumbai jail, Lt Col Purohit claimed that he was beaten and threatened to own up to a crime he never committed.
In the letter, Lt Col Purohit accused ATS and Army officers of torturing him following his arrest in the case. The Army officer also alleged that he was held in illegal detention. In total, he has named six officers for the torture in the letter.
It may be noted that the claim by Lt Col Purohit was investigated by the NHRC. Officers named in the letter have already responded and given clarification to the human rights panel. However, it is the first time that the original copy of the letter is in public domain.
Also, a complaint has been sent to the Prime Minister’s office by an activist named Neeraj Gunde, who has sought a probe into matter. He has also sought PM’s time to apprise him about the matter.
Meanwhile, speaking to Times Now, Lt Col Purohit confirmed writing the letter and said about the claims, “It’s there in the letter.”
On August 17, last year, Purohit had told the Supreme Court that he had been languishing in jail for nine years after being caught in a “political crossfire”. The apex court had granted him bail, setting aside the Bombay High Court order dismissing his bail plea.
As per a PTI report, seven people died in a bomb blast on September 29, 2008 at Malegaon, a communally-sensitive textile town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra. A special MCOCA court had earlier ruled that the ATS had wrongly applied this law against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Purohit and nine others.