NEW DELHI: In India, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, an army officer accused in the Samjhauta Express bombing, has been promoted two months after being acquitted by a court.
A report by “The Wire” said the families of the six people, killed in the blast have challenged the acquittal in court.
Lt Col Prasad Purohit, who was facing trial along with seven others, including former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pragya Singh Thakur, for his involvement in the blasts, was acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove its case in court.
Special Judge A K Lahoti, while acquitting the seven accused, said that there were serious suspicions against them but they were not enough to convict them.
The judge said there may be serious suspicions but no one can be convicted on the basis of mere suspicion, which is why the court gave the accused the benefit of doubt.
Purohit’s wife Aparna confirmed the promotion while speaking to the media.
Critics claim the government is supporting a man who spent 17 years on trial for terrorism.
Indian Textile Minister Giriraj Singh congratulated Purohit by sharing a picture of the ceremony of putting the rank on his shoulders. He said congratulations to Colonel Purohit on his return to uniform, the government stands firmly with those patriots who serve the nation with courage and honesty.
Purohit is a serving army officer who was arrested in 2008, his arrest was considered important to prove the motives of the blast, the case was initially handled by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and later transferred to it after the formation of the NIA in 2009.
According to the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Purohit had formed an organization called Abhinav Bharat in 2006, through which funds were collected and a conspiracy was hatched.
Purohit planned to establish a Hindu Rashtra through this organization with its own constitution, flag and government in exile, which was to be run either from Israel or Thailand.
It should be noted that on February 18, 2007, a blast occurred on the Samjhauta Express running between Lahore and Delhi in Panipat, Haryana, in which a total of 68 people, including 43 Pakistani and 10 Indian citizens, were killed, while 15 people could not be identified. Among the dead were 64 passengers while four belonged to the railway department.
