By IANS,
New Delhi : Declining to comment on the suspected links of three serving and retired Indian Army personnel with the Sep 29 terror blasts in Malegaon, Defence Minister A.K. Antony Friday said the army will fully cooperate in the investigations.
“Already the Maharashtra Police and IB (Intelligence Bureau) are investigating the matter. Let us see the result of the investigations. The army is cooperating in the investigations,” Antony said on the sidelines of the Naval Commanders’ Conference here.
“The army is extending full assistance to the investigating agencies. At this stage, I do not want to make any more comments,” Antony added.
Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) Thursday began quizzing a serving lieutenant colonel for his alleged links to the Malegaon blasts that left six people dead. The ATS has also arrested two retired officers on similar charges.
The sleuths are interrogating the officer 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.
The officer is suspected to have helped bomb blast accused sadhvi (Hindu missionary) Pragya Thakur, retired Army major Ramesh Upadhyaya and his associate Sharad Kulkarni in procuring RDX used in the blasts.
The lieutenant colonel is currently posted at the Army Education Corps School in Panchmarhi in Madhya Pradesh.
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.