Click to play videoNew Delhi: Self-styled spiritual guru, Dayanand Pandey alias Swami Amritanand - arrested in connection with the Malegaon blast case - was produced in a Nashik Court on Friday. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) told the court that Pandey was close to both Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, both main accused in the blast case.
It claimed huge funds were transferred to Pandey's bank account by another suspect, Rahirkar. Sources in the ATS, quoting narco-tests conducted on Lt Col Prasad Purohit, say the Swami planned the blasts to counter SIMI.
ATS claims the Swami asked Purohit to procure RDX. Officials say Purohit had been assigned by the Army the task of gathering info on SIMI in Maharashtra. Sources have also told CNN-IBN that Purohit used his contacts in SIMI to make bombs for the Malegaon blasts.
Pandey, also known as Sudhakar Dwivedi, was arrested in Kanpur on Wednesday and was on transit remand. Pandey, a native of Varanasi, had been living in Jammu for a long time and came to Kanpur last week.
His ashram's website displays the spiritual leader hobnobbing with top politicians and film stars.
The website displays pictures of him with former President Abdul Kalam, being felicitated by former Jammu and Kashmir Governor and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jagmohan in 2005.
One picture shows him sharing the stage with top political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir like the National Conference's Omar Abdullah and the Congress leader Mangat Lal Sharma.
Meanwhile, BJP General Secretary, Gopinath Munde, has accused the UPA Government of delibrately trying to project Hindus in a bad light.
"Twenty people have been arrested so far, excluding the Sadhvi, but there have been no narco-tests conducted on them till date. I think the Government - due to the missing of evidence - is blaming Hindus for the blast," he said.
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