ATS arrests UP religious leader in Malegaon blast

BLAST AFTERMATH: Malegaon blast took place on September 29 killing at least six people.

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New Delhi: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a top religious leader from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the Malegaon bomb blast.

The religious leader Dayanand Pande, a self styled Shankracharya, was arrested from Kanpur.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Vikram Singh said that UP Police is providing all help in the investigations.

"We have assisted arrest for Delhi,Gujarat and Rajasthan blasts. We will cooperate fully if ATS provides us evidence," Vikram Singh said.

UP Police officials also said that Pande is directly involved with Malegaon blast and his name was disclosed by suspects picked up for questioning.

Police also say that some more people are likely to be arrested in the case.

Already nine people including a serving Army officer, Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Prasad Purohit, and sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur have so far been arrested in the blast case.

As the investigations gather pace, Swami Avdeshanand, who is an influential leader and the head of Juna Akhada says that reports of him being close to sadhvi are baseless and that she could be one of his lakhs of followers.

"Sadhvi Pragya Thakur had visited me with her family during the Allahabad Kumbh to seek my blessings. I had imparted diksha to around 10,000 sadhvis and sadhus. After that I have only met her only twice. That is all I know of her," Avdeshanand said.

Meanwhile, the ATS is also looking at the possibility of the involvement of Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Prasad Purohit in the 2007 Samjhauta train blasts which killed 68 people.

Lt Col Prasad has been arrested for his involvement in Malegaon blast and ATS suspects he could be involved in other previous blasts in Maharashtra.

Investigators are already looking at the possibilities of Purohit and others arrested in the Malegaon blast being involved in other explosions like the 2004 Jalna blast and 2006 Nanded blast in Maharashtra.

However, following further investigations, ATS is now looking at the army official's possible involvement in the twin blasts in the train that link India and Pakistan.

The blasts took place on February 17, 2007 near Panipat in Haryana.

Initial investigations in the case had said that the perpetrators of the blast could have affiliations with LeT.

The Aurangabad ATS has already taken custody Rakesh Dhawade, one of the arrested in Malegaon case, to probe his alleged involvement in the Jalna and Nanded blasts.

Nine persons have been arrested for their involvement in the Malegaon blast in which six persons were killed and at least 80 injured when a bomb placed on a motorcycle exploded.

The ATS is also planning to question a man nabbed in the city for his alleged involvement with right wing group Abhinav Bharat and other arrested accused in the Malegaon case.

(With inputs from PTI)