Witness who told prosecution about Prasad Purohit and Abhinav Bharat link is dead: NIA to court

Representative image. Pic/Istock

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday told a special court here that two witnesses in the September 2008 Malegaon blast case who were to depose during the day have died.

Special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal informed the special NIA court both succumbed to natural causes and submitted their death certificates.

One of the witnesses had, in his statement to the earlier investigating agency Maharashtra's Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), claimed he met accused Colonel Prasad Purohit and other accused in the case on several occasions during which they had spoken about their right wing group Abhinav Bharat and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Indresh Kumar.

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So far 27 witnesses have turned hostile in the case in which BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Purohit are accused.

Around 110 witnesses are yet to be examined in the trial, which is being held on a daily basis.

On Sep 29, 2008, an explosive had gone off on a motorcycle at Malegaon town of Nashik district, killing six persons and injuring more than a 100.

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