Malegaon 2008 blast accuse Samir Kulkarni provided with armed security

Pune, Oct 30: One of the accused of 2008 Malegaon blast Samir Kulkarni has been provided armed security guard from today, at his residence in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune in Maharashtra.

Kulkarni, who is currently out on bail, said that he wrote to the state government in May this year seeking protection, but he might have been provided the security now in the wake of the killing of former Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari in Lucknow.

"Except a letter acknowledging that my application has been received, I did not receive any communication from the state government after I sought protection," said Kulkarni, who resides in Pune's Chinchwad area.

However, on Tuesday he got a call from the Pimpri Chinchwad police, informing that an armed guard of constable rank was assigned to him, he said. "I did seek protection then (in May)...the security might have provided now in the wake of Tiwari's killing," he said.

Tiwari, who was earlier associated with a faction of the Hindu Mahasabha, was killed at his home in Naka Hindola area of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh on October 18. Kulkrani, who was released on bail in 2017, also said that he might have been given protection since he is one of the accused in the Malegaon blast, which is a sensitive case.

He said while seeking security, he had categorically told the government he would not be able to bear the police protection expenses, and that the government will have to bear the cost. He said BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, who are also accused in the Malegaon blast case, have also been provided security.

Six people were killed and nearly 100 others injured when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon town of Maharashtra's Nashik district on September 29, 2008.

The trial in the case began in October last year after a special court in Mumbai framed charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Thakur and others.

The Malegaon blast took place on September 29, 2008, near a mosque in Malegaon town in Maharashtra Nashik district. Six people were killed in it while around 100 people were injured.

Kulkarni, a printing press employee from Bhopal, was arrested soon after the blast. According to the prosecution, he was alleged to have arranged chemicals used in the blast.

However, in 2017 the court granted Kulkarni bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 on the grounds of parity, as several other accused in the case including Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, and retired Army Major Ramesh Upadhyay were already been given bail then.