Sambit Patra hits out at Congress over Malegaon blast case probe after former ATS officer claims "instructed to arrest Mohan Bhagwat"

New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): BJP MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra launched an attack on the Congress party after a retired Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Officer revealed that he was instructed to "arrest" Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the Malegaon blast case.
BJP MP Patra alleged that Congress asked the ATS officer Mahboob Mujawar to further the narrative of 'saffron terror'.
Addressing reporters here, Patra said, "There have been two new developments in the Malegaon Blast case, both of which are political. First is the expose by an ATS officer, Mahboob Mujawar, who investigated the case. Mahboob Mujawar was an important part of the investigative committee formed to investigate the blast case."
"He has exposed that his senior officers and senior leaders in the government put great pressure on him to further the 'saffron terror' narrative and arrest RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat," Patra said.
He alleged that Mujawar's promotion was halted as he did not arrest Bhagwat.
"Mohan Bhagwat's name was not there on the chargesheet, nor was it anywhere in the case. Citing the Constitution, Mahboob Mujawar refused to arrest Mohan Bhagwat. Some damning charges were pressed upon Mahboob Mujawar by his senior officers, as a result of which, his promotion was stopped. Later, he was acquitted by the court," he said.
Patra alleged that it was part of the Congress' "vindictive attitude".
He said, "This shows the vindictive attitude of the then Congress government. All this was being done on orders of the Gandhi family."
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha, Patra claimed that PM Modi had said that a Congress leader informed the USA's spy agencies that 'saffron terror' poses a great threat to India.
"In his speech during the debate on Operation Sindoor, PM Modi clearly said that there is a very senior leader who went to the US and told their spy agencies that saffron terror poses a greater threat to India than SIMI. You know who that senior leader is, who told the US Ambassador that Hindu terror is the biggest threat to India... This was an agenda of the Gandhi family for vote bank politics," Patra said.
Amid a row over the acquittal of all those accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, retired ATS officer Mehboob Mujawar claimed that he was instructed to "arrest" Mohan Bhagwat in connection with the case.
He said that he was jailed for refusing to carry out the orders that came from his bosses, including former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, who was the Additional Commissioner of the ATS at that time.
"I didn't make any allegations, but presented what has been on the record. It has been proved in court. It is not about political pressure; rather, my boss, Param Bir Singh, and other top officials instructed me to arrest Mohan Bhagwat. There was this concept of 'bhagwa atankwaad (saffron terror)' running in the media. However, I refused to do this and was punished for it. I was arrested and put in jail. I was defamed," Mujawar told ANI.
On Thursday, the Mumbai Special National Investigative Agency Court (NIA) acquitted all seven accused of being involved in the 2008 blasts of Malegaon, with the court saying the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt. (ANI)