Indian Army officer being quizzed in Malegaon blast case

Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Oct 30 (IANS) The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra Police has begun interrogating a serving Indian Army officer posted here in connection with the Sep 29 Malegaon bomb blasts that killed six people, it is reliably learnt.

The sleuths began the exercise - perhaps first of its kind in the country - in the supervisory presence of another Indian Army officer, a judicial magistrate and a law officer after obtaining permission from the Army Headquarters in New Delhi, sources said.

The officer, of lieutenant colonel rank, is suspected to have helped bomb blast accused sadhvi Pragya Thakur and her accomplices in procuring RDX used in the blasts, the sources added.

The army gave permission to quiz the officer with a stipulation that he would not be handed over to the ATS at this stage and that another army officer would be present during the interrogation.

It is learnt that the officer could be discharged from the army if his involvement in the crime is preliminarily proved. He would then most probably be tried by a civilian court since the charges likely to be framed against him would fall outside the jurisdiction of army courts.

Jabalpur is home to three ordnance factories, besides engineering units.