Malegaon blast case: 20th witness turns hostile

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon on September 29, 2008

Mumbai: A special court on Wednesday declared a retired military officer as the 20th hostile witness in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The former officer failed to identify Prasad Purohit, one of the accused in the case. He also claimed he had not given any statement to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

Malegaon blast scene. (REUTERS)

When asked if he could see any accused in the case present in the court, he told special judge Prashant R Sitre that could not even as though Purohit was there.

The witness in March 2009 gave a three-page statement to ATS, which initially investigated the case, related to Purohit’s visit to Deolali in Nashik, where the explosive device used for the blast was allegedly assembled.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when the explosive device on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon on September 29, 2008. Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Pragya Singh Thakur is among those facing trial in the case that began in November 2018.