17th anniversary of the Malegaon bomb blast

— Dr. Suresh Khairnar —

On the 17th Anniversary of the Malegaon Bomb BlastToday marks the 17th anniversary of the Malegaon bomb blast, carried out on this same day 17 years ago. I was the person who conducted the first investigation into the incident. At that time, before leaving, I told Superintendent of Police Rajvardhan bluntly that:“After the Malegaon blast, you arrested only people from the Muslim community. Among the 40 people who died in the attack, all were Muslims. And all the accused you arrested also belong to the Muslim community. What compulsion forced you to arrest only Muslims?

You were trained at the Sardar Patel Police Academy in Hyderabad, and as per that training, the first duty of an officer investigating any incident is to look into the motive behind the crime. Why did it never strike you, even for a moment, that others could be behind this? Why do officers repeatedly show such negligence, and in the rush end up only targeting people from the Muslim community? This is what you too have done immediately after the Malegaon blast.”I asked him: “Why did you not even once consider that others might be involved? You arrested 115 people, all Muslims. Why?” Rajvardhan remained silent. Before I departed, I told him very clearly: “I don’t know what compulsion you have, but it is very clear that you are not doing your duty properly.”Later, the investigation was handed over to Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare. His probe reached new leads after he recovered the motorcycle belonging to Pragya Singh Thakur.

The investigation then revealed the involvement of the group Abhinav Bharat—an organization originally founded by barrister Vinayak Damodar Savarkar before independence, but dissolved by Savarkar himself before his death in 1966. However, Lt. Col. Purohit and Major Upadhyay revived it, making Himani Savarkar (Savarkar’s niece and Nathuram Godse’s relative) its president.Karkare’s investigation produced reports of Abhinav Bharat’s meetings, held in places like Bhopal, Ujjain, and Pachmarhi. These reports, papers, and even photographs (published in Bhopal newspapers) showed the participation of figures like Pragya Singh Thakur, RSS leaders like Indresh Kumar, and sometimes names like Mohan Bhagwat, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, and Rajnath Singh.The revived Abhinav Bharat’s stated aim was to respond to “Muslim terrorism” with “Hindu terrorism.” They even wrote to the then King of Nepal, Devendra, and to the Israeli government, seeking support and asylum for their activities, proposing an “Exile Government.” ATS seized laptops from Dayanand Pandey, who called himself a Shankaracharya, containing transcripts, audio, and video recordings of meetings, all submitted to court.

However, after the BJP came to power in 2014, government lawyer Rohini Salian was pressured by IB officials to “go slow” in prosecuting the case. She refused and was removed from the case. Eventually, on 31 July 2025, due to “lack of evidence,” all the accused in the Malegaon blast case were acquitted. Union Home Minister and Maharashtra CM irresponsibly declared, “A Hindu can never be a terrorist.” Such statements only ensure that terrorism will never truly end in India.Instead of challenging the verdict in higher courts, those in constitutional positions repeated these damaging statements, ignoring the evidence painstakingly collected by Hemant Karkare, who was later killed during the 26/11 attacks.

The manipulation of chargesheets, the dismissal of ATS findings, and political protection of accused have deeply harmed India’s fight against terrorism.Broader Context of Hindutva Terror InvestigationsThe Nanded bomb blast case (2006) revealed RSS-linked families manufacturing bombs, with evidence including fake beards, Pathani suits, and Urdu newspapers meant to disguise attacks as “Muslim terror.”Investigations into multiple blasts—Malegaon (2006, 2008), Ajmer Sharif, Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad), and the Samjhauta Express—show repeated attempts to blame Muslims, while substantial links pointed elsewhere.Despite this, BJP leaders often claim “all terrorists are Muslims,” ignoring Hindutva groups’ direct involvement in terror cases.Encounter Killings and Staged OperationsThe Nagpur (2006) “fidayeen attack” on RSS headquarters bore striking resemblances to staged encounters like Ishrat Jahan’s fake encounter in Ahmedabad. Local inquiries by independent committees found discrepancies suggesting fabrication: freshly painted getaway cars, bodies showing signs of decomposition before “the encounter,” police fabricating gunfire scenes, and witnesses affirming it was staged.Senior journalists like Pravin Bardapurkar acknowledged the staged nature of these encounters privately; however, media reported the official police version prominently, reinforcing anti-Muslim sentiment.

Political ImplicationsInstead of punishing accused like Pragya Singh Thakur, the BJP rewarded her with a parliamentary seat from Bhopal, despite her publicly glorifying Nathuram Godse. She now sits in India’s largest democratic institution, even serving on defense committees, while using hate speech against fellow MPs like Danish Ali.Leaders like Tejasvi Surya, Pramod Muthalik, Sambhaji Bhide, Milind Ekbote, Sadhvi Rithambara, and others spread communal hatred openly without accountability.Meanwhile, thinkers, activists, and human rights defenders like Stan Swamy, Sonam Wangchuk, and other Dalit, Adivasi, and minority voices are branded as “anti-national” and jailed.Intellectual Critiques and Books Raised QuestionsFormer police officer S. M. Mushrif wrote Who Killed Karkare?, questioning the official version of Karkare’s death and pointing at intelligence agencies.

Despite strong allegations, no action was ever taken against him or his publisher, suggesting silent acknowledgement of truths.Vinita Kamte (The Last Bullet) highlighted suspicious lapses in 26/11 communications that led to the deaths of her husband Ashok Kamte, Karkare, and others. She directly accused senior officer Rakesh Maria of unanswered lapses.Subhash Gatade (Godse’s Children) compiled documentation (including my own reports) showing Hindutva-linked terrorism’s continuum.Nandita Haksar questioned Afzal Guru’s role in the Parliament attack in her book, only for his execution to shut down deeper inquiries.Broader ReflectionFrom Gandhi’s assassination to the killings of Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh, right-wing extremism has continuously targeted voices of reason. Yet, false narratives—claiming terrorism has only a Muslim face—have been systematically built.Meanwhile, the RSS’s own history of communal polarization, and its continued role in shaping narratives, is pushing India towards a dangerous path of division and eventual fragmentation, similar to 1947’s Partition.Today, on the 17th anniversary of the Malegaon blast:The culprits walk free.One of the accused, Pragya Thakur, is celebrated as a leader.The narrative that only Muslims can be terrorists continues to dominate public discourse.This is dangerous not only for India’s secular fabric but also for national unity and security.