Testing times for Bhonsala school as commandant is questioned

At a glance, the Bhonsala Military School, which stands on the sprawling Bhonsala Educational Campus on the outskirts of Nashik, stands out for its serenity.

At a glance, the Bhonsala Military School, which stands on the sprawling Bhonsala Educational Campus on the outskirts of Nashik, stands out for its serenity. But this impression could be deceptive.

On Saturday, the school8217;s 8216;commandant8217; Colonel retd S S Raikar was interrogated by the Mumbai ATS in connection with the Malegaon blasts, since this school is where suspect Major Ramesh Upadhyay retd met with the prime accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and ABVP member Sameer Kulkarni met on one of a 8220;series of meetings8221; that took place between the three before the blasts. Raikar became a person of interest to the authorities after his name was linked to another suspect, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit8212;the two had apparently served together in the Intelligence Corps of the Army.

Interestingly, Raikar had recently denied that he had been called in for questioning by the ATS. 8220;I was serving in the Military Intelligence as a counter-intelligence officer in Pune and therefore we had interactions with the ATS and there was a relationship between us. It is on those grounds that I had a meeting with the ATS,8221; he contended.

Previously, S S Raikar, in his first interaction with the media, told The Indian Express that the entire issue had been blown out of proportion although he acknowledged that the school has RSS and BJP links. 8220;The school is run by the Central Hindu Military Society CHMES which is entirely a private organisation. The primary aim of this institution is to feed the Indian military establishment with able and well-bred officers,8221; said Raikar pointing towards portraits of illustrious alumni.

The school8217;s principal, R R Kute, had added that religion was not important to the school and that 8220;Christian and Muslim boys form a sizeable chunk of our student strength of 600.8221; However, Anil Povar, Senior Police Inspector, Gangapur police station, under whose jurisdiction the Bhonsala premises fall, told The Indian Express that the educational complex had just opened a branch of the BJP8217;s youth wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad ABVP, in October to boost it8217;s membership.

But Major Prabhakar Balwant Kulkarni retd, 81, who was the school8217;s principal between 8217;73 and 8217;88 and who has been associated with the RSS since 1935, revealed that RSS had no connection with the school8217;s administration. 8220;The board is an independent body elected on a five-year basis,8221; he said. Both Raikar and Kulkarni denied having any knowledge of the alleged meeting between Upadhyay and Pragya on the school8217;s premises. Kulkarni added that the management does not support any political activities. 8220;The school aims to make patriots of its students and has been there for the past 80 years,8221; said Kulkarni.

Incidentally, the school8217;s name had first cropped in the Maharashtra investigation files after the Nanded blasts in 2006, where the probe had found some links to the school.

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8220;At present we cannot comment on the school. But it8217;s high time that all institutions with links to RSS should be investigated especially when the senior management of the school are hardcore RSS activists,8221; said local CPIM leader D L Karad. Interestingly, a September 2 confidential letter by the CPIM party member Hannah Mollah has asked the Centre to conduct an investigation into the activities that take place inside the school.