ATS clueless on Muthalik's link with Malegaon blast

Mangalore, Feb 1: It seems Anti Terror Squad returned empty-handed from Mangalore. Maharashtra ATS team had gone to quiz Sri Rama Sena Chief Pramod Muthalik in connection with Malegaon blast case on Friday, Jan 30. ATS have found little evidence against Muthalik, not enough to indict him, sources said.

Muthalik had spoken in support of Malegaon blast and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur when he was in custody raising doubts of his links with Malegaon blasts.

The Ram Sene Chief who was arrested after getting bail in the Mangalore pub assault was named by the Malegaon Prime Accused Lt Col Prasad Purohit as a man who was privy to the Malegaon conspiracy.

The Maharashtra ATS team grilled Muthalik for the second time since yesterday over his alleged links with the Malegaon blast prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit. During the interrogation, he had denied any link with Malegaon blast.

In his interrogative speech Muthalik had praised Pragya Thakur: "One should not give her a tag of a terrorist, and if anyone is doing so, the message of revolution in this country will be lost. Terrorism is the activity of traitors. If Sadhvi is among those involved she is a revolutionary and an ideal for all of us. If you are calling all of them terrorists, then revolutionaries like Kittur Chenamma, Jhansi Rani and Bhagat Singh are terrorists too."

Addressing a rally in Udipi, Karnataka, on January 17, 2008, Muthalik said the Malegaon blasts were just a trailer and that every house must have a person like sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. What is most worrying is that Muthalik was exhorting all women to support terror by carrying bombs.

Muthalik, in Dec 2003 had made a provocative speech at Gonikoppal, after which a case was registered by the Police. As Muthalik was in the Mangalore Police custody, the Madikeri Police could not present the warrant before the court on Saturday, Jan 31.

OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)