One Purohit doesn’t make Army bad: Patil

NEW DELHI: Home minister Shivraj Patil on Thursday said it was wrong to blame the entire Army for the acts of one individual. Mr Patil���s defence of the Army comes in the backdrop of the arrest of Lt Col Srikant Prasad Purohit.

Mr Patil said the entire Army should not be blamed for a ���wrong committed by one individual���. The Centre has been promising tough action against the official allegedly involved in the Malegaon blast.

Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor had on Wednesday said more checks and balances are being put in place to ensure that such incidents are not repeated. ���It was an aberration. We will ensure that it does not happen again,��� the Army chief had said.

Meanwhile, reports from Lucknow said Dayanand Pandey, who was arrested on Wednesday, has been put under the custody of the Maharashtra ATS. Although Pandey���s exact role in the blast is not clear, he claims to be a religious leader in Jammu.

According to ATS, Pandey, also known as Sudhakar Dwivedi, was part of the conspiracy. ���We had got some photos, numbers and took the help of UP police. He has not yet been arrested but will be if required after interrogation,��� ATS chief Hemant Karkare told reporters in Mumbai.

Pandey���s chartered accountant V K Kapoor and his son Pawan were also detained in Jammu for questioning. The duo were, however, let off as ���nothing adverse��� was found against them.

The ATS chief had on Wednesday said that Pandey had attended several meetings prior to the blast alongwith LT Col Purohit and other accused in Nashik and Madhya Pradesh.

Till now, ATS has arrested nine persons and booked them in cases for conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder and under the Indian Explosives Act.