Click to play videoMumbai: The investigations into the bomb blast on September 29 in Malegaon in which five persons were killed has revealed that Hindu groups were behind the dastardly act.
Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil also confirmed that the police were questioning two retired army officials in connection with the blast.
The alleged involvement of the two retired army officials in the blast came as a new and disturbing twist in the Malegaon blast investigations.
Police had on Friday arrested Sadhvi (female saint) Purna Chetanand alias Pragya Singh Thakur, Shyam Bhavar Lal, and Shivnarayan Singh for their alleged involvement in the blast.
According to the police Sadhvi Chetanand is a former office bearer of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), and a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Durga Vahini, while Lal and Singh are affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
All the three were produced in a court by police on Friday but less than 24 hours, investigators have begun working on the possibility of at least two retired senior army personnel being involved in the training of terrorists who are believed to have carried out the blast.
Intelligence sources said the officers who retired as Majors from the Army, had trained right wing fanatics in assembling bombs.
Patil confirmed the questioning of two retired army personnel but says he can't reveal much at this point of time.
"The arrested people were involved with some organisations during their student days. The investigation is on to find if those organisations were involved in the blast," Patil said.
Besides these critical leads, at least two RSS office bearers are being questioned in Bhopal and the role of at least one more sadhvi is being investigated.
The police are not ruling out her possible arrest in the coming days.
"Pragya had set up an organisation named Jai Vande Matram Jankalyan Samiti," Joint Commissioner of Police (ATS) Hemant Karkare said.
The police say the interrogation of the accused who have been arrested so far has established that the group had allegedly orchestrated the Malegaon blast in response to the serial bombings in multiple cities by the so-called Indian Mujahideen.
The group visited Malegaon along with the alleged mastermind Ramnarayan Singh on more than one occasion and police also claim to have tapped conversation between Shivnarayan Singh and Pragya Thakur Singh.
Saturday's developments in the ongoing investigations of the Malegoan's blasts seem to strengthen suspicions over the controversial role of a military school based in western Maharashtra in propagating saffron terror.
Sources say the police are now closely examining the role of the institution and its activities, with Nashik and Indore emerging as the epicentres of the entire planning and conspiracy.
(With inputs from Niranjan Takle)
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