In a surprising revelation in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, a suspended police officer has claimed that two key accused in the case, viz., Sandeep Dange and Ram Kalsangra, are “no more” but have still been shown as alive by police officers.
The claim has been made by suspended Police Inspector Mehboob Mujawar, who himself is an accused in a separate case of criminal intimidation under the Arms Act.
Mujawar has alleged that Sandeep Dange and Ram Kalsangra, who were accused of planting the bombs in Malegaon, were killed in custody by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in 2008 itself and their bodies were disposed of with 26/11 terror attack victims.
He also said that he had filed an application and submitted evidence regarding the same before the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Solapur on August 19, 2016.
An improvised explosive device (IED) hidden in a motorcycle had gone off on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon town of Maharashtra killing six people and injuring over 100.
Later, the ATS had arrested several people including Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Lt Colonel Prasad Srikant Purohit in the connections and filed a chargesheet against 14 people, including Kalsangre and Dange, who are listed as wanted.
In a supplementary chargesheet filed before the special court in May this year, the NIA accused the ATS of planting RDX traces to frame Lt Col Purohit and let off Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and five others, saying evidence was insufficient to justify prosecution.
Mujawar further alleged that three senior officials of the Maharashtra Police -- two retired DGs and one high ranking serving IPS official – tried to suppress information about the killings.
A senior NIA official said that the claims made by Mujawar will be verified, adding that Mujawar never contacted the NIA before making his allegations public.
“Officially there is no communication from the agency yet. But while arguing the matter earlier in the case, officers said the two accused were absconding and shown as wanted accused...the chargesheet shows them as wanted accused. This is the first time that any person has claimed that the two wanted accused are no more. Further investigation, if allowed by court, will be carried out,” senior public prosecutor Avinash Rawal was quoted by Times of India as saying.
“It was around the time when Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was arrested that Kalsangre and Dange were also picked up by the ATS from Bhopal. On 26/11/2008 (the day the Mumbai terror siege began), the two were gunned down in Mumbai,” Mujawar claimed.
He further alleged that he was sent to Karnataka by the ATS to try to find the missing duo, though he had been killed. Mujawar said that since he was against the killings, a fake case under the Arms Act was filed against him in Solapur to silence him.
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