Federal Textile Minister Giriraj Singh shared a picture of the ceremony of putting the rank on Purohit’s shoulders and congratulated him, congratulating Colonel Purohit on his return to uniform
Staff Reporter , Daily Dawn, Dawn TV, OK TV Report
London: The British media has reported, citing The Wire, that an Indian Army officer accused in the Samjhauta Express and Maligaon bombing cases has been promoted after being acquitted by a terrorism court.
Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit has been promoted to the rank of Colonel by the Indian Army, at least 2 months after he was acquitted by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court.
Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, who was facing trial along with seven others, including former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pragya Singh Thakur, for his alleged involvement in the blasts, was acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove its case in court.
Special Judge A K Lahoti, while acquitting the seven accused, said that there were serious suspicions against them, but they were not sufficient to convict them. The judge added that there may be serious suspicions, but no one can be convicted based on mere suspicion, which is why the court gave the accused the benefit of doubt.
The NIA had said that it would consider challenging the decision in the Bombay High Court after seeking legal opinion, but no decision was taken to proceed with the case.
The Wire said that the families of the six people killed in the blast have challenged the acquittal in court.
Purohit’s wife, Aparna, confirmed the development while speaking to the media, which is being seen as a sign that the government is standing with a man who was an accused in a terror case for 17 years.
Federal Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh congratulated Purohit by sharing a picture of the ceremony of putting the rank on his shoulders, writing, “Congratulations to Colonel Purohit on his return to uniform. The government stands firmly with these patriotic individuals who serve the nation with courage and honesty.”
Purohit is a serving army officer who was arrested in 2008. His arrest was considered crucial to prove the ‘purpose’ of the blast. The case was initially handled by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and was later transferred to it after the formation of the NIA in 2009.
According to the ATS, Purohit had set up an organisation called ‘Abhinav Bharat’ in 2006, through which funds were raised and a conspiracy was allegedly hatched.
The ATS claimed that Purohit had planned to establish a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ through this organisation with its own constitution, flag and ‘government in exile’, which was to be run from either Israel or Thailand.
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