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ATS to interrogate Sri Ram Sene chief

Staff Reporter

Purohit purportedly mentioned the name of ‘Muthalik’

PHOTO: AFP

Sri Ram Sene leader Pramod Muthalik being taken by police to a Mangalore court on Thursday. —

MANGALORE: A team of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad is headed for this city to interrogate Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik for his suspected role in the Malegaon blast of September 29, 2008, sources in the ATS said.

Mr. Muthalik is now being interrogated by the Mangalore police for his alleged role in inciting the January 24 vigilante attack by members of his organisation on a pub.

Inspector-General (Western Range) A.M. Prasad told The Hindu on Thursday: “We have been contacted by the ATS. They want to interrogate him [Mr. Muthalik] in connection with the Malegaon case.”

During his interrogation, the Malegaon blast accused, Col. Shrikant Purohit, purportedly mentioned the name of “Muthalik” as being someone who was integral to the plot. Based on this revelation, an ATS team travelled to Hubli.

The ATS is also investigating a link between Sri Ram Sene and Abhinav Bharat, the organisation that is believed to have carried out the Malegaon blast.

Mumbai Staff Reporter writes:

“The ATS team has gone to Mangalore to probe Pramod Muthalik with respect to the Malegaon blast case,” said ATS chief K.P. Raghuvanshi in Mumbai. He clarified that an absconding Malegaon blast suspect, Praveen Mutalik, and Pramod Muthalik were different people.

Mr. Pramod Muthalik’s name reportedly came up during the investigation of Col. Purohit. Col. Purohit has claimed to have met the Sene leader in Pune.

BJP has no link with Sene: Yeddyurappa

New Delhi Special Correspondent reports:

In the capital, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa avoided a direct reply to a question on banning Sri Ram Sene vis-a-vis recent attack on young women in Mangalore. He made it clear that the Sene or its chief had no link with the BJP or the RSS and that it was an independent organisation.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said he would take up the issue of ban with his Cabinet colleagues, police and party seniors in New Delhi, and decide. “Please wait,” he told journalists. Mere ban on an organisation would not solve any problem. He would not allow the pub culture to grow in Karnataka; at the same time those who took the law into their own hands would be dealt with firmly.

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Ram Sene leader held for attack on women in pub

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