Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, recently acquitted in the Malegaon blast case by an NIA court, was given a grand welcome at his society in Pune on Sunday.
Visuals from the society showed people showering him with flower petals, bursting crackers and holding up posters reading ‘welcome kaka,’ expressing their happiness at his return. Lt Colonel Purohit, accompanied by his wife, also visited the Hanuman mandir within the society premises, offering prasad and prayers as a large crowd looked on.
Speaking to reporters, he expressed gratitude for the support he received over the years and explained how he had earlier asked people to wait until his name was cleared by the court.
“They always wanted to welcome me. But I had said that till such time I get completely acquitted from the case, I will not be able to give you that kind of happiness. So, this time, when the Court gave this judgement, they said that they are going to welcome me. I had no heart to say that I will not be able to make it. I am grateful,” Lt Colonel Purohit said.
Actor Nitish Bharadwaj, best known for playing Krishna in the Mahabharat series, also joined the celebration. He remarked that the idea of ‘saffron terror’ has now been defeated and spoke about the long ordeal Purohit’s family had endured.
“We saw the family of Purohit suffer for the last 17 years. His mother, wife, sister, and children have suffered. This has ended now. We are delighted. A few leaders of the UPA had coined the term ‘saffron terror’; this has been defeated now. It is the defeat of this definition. The manner in which UPA Govt, a few of their ministers, compelled the ATS and its officials – it is a defeat of that. We are all delighted today. We are very proud of Col Purohit. He has done nothing wrong,” Bharadwaj told the reporters during his visit to the society.
A college friend of Lt Colonel Purohit also spoke to the media, underlining that justice had finally been done after 17 long years.
“He was implicated in a false case. After the court’s verdict, he is returning to his home as an innocent man. So, we should welcome him, we have made all arrangements here,” the friend said.
On July 31, the Mumbai NIA court acquitted all seven accused of involvement in the 2008 blasts in Malegaon, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
The Malegaon blast case, which originally involved 11 accused, was transferred from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad to the NIA in 2011. Following nearly two decades of legal proceedings and the examination of hundreds of witnesses, the NIA special court cleared all seven of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and other related offences.
The 2008 Malegaon blast occurred on September 29 when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque at Bhikku Chowk in Malegaon City, killing six people and injuring 95 others.
Among the original accused was former MP Sadhvi Pragya, who was also among the seven against whom charges were ultimately framed by the court.
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