Can’t recognise Lt Col Purohit due to lapse of time: Malegaon case witness
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which had initially investigated the blast before the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency, had recorded the statement of the witness in 2008.
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Lt Col Purohit (File)A witness in the 2008 Malegaon blast case told the court on Wednesday that he was unable to recognise accused Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit due to the lapse of time. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which had initially investigated the blast before the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), had recorded the statement of the witness in 2008.
The witness, who ran a business of arms, told the court that in 2006, he had sold ammunition to Purohit. The witness told the court on Wednesday that Purohit had arms licences as a military man and based on that, he had sold him ammunition once. The investigating agency had claimed that the witness had said in his statement in 2008 that Purohit had attempted to purchase a weapon from him without a licence in September that year.
While he did not mention this in his examination-in-chief, Special Public Prosecutor Avinash Rasal cross-examined the witness after the court’s permission. The witness told the court that he had stated the fact about the licence in his statement.
The witness, when asked to identify Purohit, said he did not remember due to the lapse of time and due to his illness. He also said he was unable to identify the weapon shown to him. He denied that he was making a false statement to save Purohit.
So far, 252 witnesses have deposed in the case, of whom 20 have turned hostile. On Tuesday, a letter was sent to the NIA on behalf of the victims, urging the agency to file a plea before the trial court to make a former Army man an accused in the case. The former Army man was the 20th witness to turn hostile. The letter was written by lawyer Shahid Nadeem, who is representing the victims, stating that the witness was the superior officer of Purohit. The letter stated that the witness turned hostile, and it sought that the NIA should file an application under Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Code to make the witness an accused in the case.
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