Malegaon explosions probe caught in a maze

During the initial probe into the 2006 Malegaon blasts, city police investigated similar explosions in Aurangabad, Nanded and Parbhani where Hindu extremists were emerging as prime suspects but the inquiry yielded no results. Rajesh Ahuja reports.

During the initial probe into the 2006 Malegaon blasts, city police investigated similar explosions in Aurangabad, Nanded and Parbhani where Hindu extremists were emerging as prime suspects but the inquiry yielded no results.

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On September 8, 2006, four bomb blasts took place outside a mosque in Malegaon, killing 31 people.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the CBI had chargesheeted nine Muslims in the case but it later emerged that the Malegaon blasts were the handiwork of Hindu extremists.

The case was handed over to the NIA and the agency has now charged four Hindu extremists.

The first IO of the Malegaon blasts, inspector Davidas Sonawane of Maharashtra police told the NIA investigators that one assistant inspector Awhad was directed by DSP MR Malegaonkar to visit Aurangabad, Nanded and Parbhani where similar kind of blasts had taken place.

Sonawane claimed that the probe didn't reveal anything. Sonewane also said he probed role of few Hindus, Parsuram Shiva Mohite, Balyogi Surajnath and Mahesh Patodiya, before it was handed over to the ATS.

Prior to Malegaon blasts, several mosques in Maharashtra towns - Parbhani (2003), Purna (2004) and Jalna (2004) were targeted. These blasts, like the Malegaon blasts, took place after the Friday afternoon prayers.

In Nanded two right wing extremists - Himanshu Panse and Naresh Rajkondowar - died while making bombs on April 6, 2006, a few months before the Malegaon blasts.

The NIA revealed that Panse was working closely with Madhya Pradesh based group led by former RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi.