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Malegaon blast suspicion points to BJP lawmaker
Amid speculation that he would be questioned in connection with the Malegaon bombings, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday refused to assist in the investigations and dared Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to arrest him.
- IANS
- Published: 00:01 November 12, 2008
New Delhi/Lucknow: Amid speculation that he would be questioned in connection with the Malegaon bombings, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday refused to assist in the investigations and dared Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to arrest him.
"There is a dangerous conspiracy afoot to label the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [RSS] as a terrorist organisation and give a charitable name to Muslim outfits," the MP from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur constituency told reporters in Lucknow.
"I dare the police to arrest me and I will offer no help in their probe," he added, amid reports that he was likely to be questioned in connection with the September 29 Malegaon blasts in which five people were killed.
Adityanath, 36, advised the ATS not to act on instructions from others and also questioned why narco-tests were being conducted on Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon bombing, when it was not done with Islamist militants accused in previous bombings.
His comments came after the ATS on Monday filed an application in a Mumbai court seeking permission to interrogate a "high profile leader: and obtain cooperation from the Uttar Pradesh government in doing so.
Though declining to name the leader, the ATS has discreetly conducted operations in Uttar Pradesh and found leads to the bombing. Malegaon blast probe has been constantly throwing up new leads since Lieutenant Colonel P.S. Purohit, an Army officer, was arrested on November 5.
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