Who is Lt. Col. Srikant Prasad Purohit? In a country where the Military has been as apolitical as it can get, a serving army officer’s involvement in an act of `terror’ is a rare entity. Infact, very rare. But now with Maharashtra's anti-terrorist squad (ATS) linking Purohit to some major bomb blasts - Nanded in 2006, Samjhauta Express and the Hyderabad Mecca Mosque blasts of February and May 2007 and Thane of June 2008 - the critical question being asked is this: is there a rogue element within the military? Are there more Lt. Col. 
Purohits in the armed forces? If one went by the rarified atmosphere of English TV networks, the answer would have to be yes. The real world, however, could well be different.
Serving officers in the army as well as his former colleagues are mystified at the fast moving chain of events and the plethora of charges that have been levelled against the 36-years old Purohit, a stalwart of the Maratha Light Infantry in Nashik, Maharashtra. A polyglot par excellence, the accused is a master of four languages, including Arabic, which is why he was posted in 2002 with the liaison unit of Military Intelligence (MI) in Jammu and Kashmir so that he could understand terrorists’ intercepts, a vital component of the Indian war on terror in the disturbed Kashmir valley.
Purohit’s swimming coach, Sanjeev Valvalkar, paints a potrait that certainly does not match the one offered by the Maharashtra ATS. Valvalkar, who spent many hours in the pool with Purohit, remembers the army officer as being highly dedicated and cooperative. “He was a nice and soft spoken person who used to help others. He was a fitness freak and was dedicated to sports. It never appeared that he could do anything wrong.” Well neither did it appear to anyone else until investigations of the Malegaon blasts after the arrest of Hindu activist, Pragya Singh, led the trail of the deadly explosions to Purohit and a retired Major, Ramesh Upadhaya, amongst others....Continue
Purohits in the armed forces? If one went by the rarified atmosphere of English TV networks, the answer would have to be yes. The real world, however, could well be different.Serving officers in the army as well as his former colleagues are mystified at the fast moving chain of events and the plethora of charges that have been levelled against the 36-years old Purohit, a stalwart of the Maratha Light Infantry in Nashik, Maharashtra. A polyglot par excellence, the accused is a master of four languages, including Arabic, which is why he was posted in 2002 with the liaison unit of Military Intelligence (MI) in Jammu and Kashmir so that he could understand terrorists’ intercepts, a vital component of the Indian war on terror in the disturbed Kashmir valley.
Purohit’s swimming coach, Sanjeev Valvalkar, paints a potrait that certainly does not match the one offered by the Maharashtra ATS. Valvalkar, who spent many hours in the pool with Purohit, remembers the army officer as being highly dedicated and cooperative. “He was a nice and soft spoken person who used to help others. He was a fitness freak and was dedicated to sports. It never appeared that he could do anything wrong.” Well neither did it appear to anyone else until investigations of the Malegaon blasts after the arrest of Hindu activist, Pragya Singh, led the trail of the deadly explosions to Purohit and a retired Major, Ramesh Upadhaya, amongst others....Continue
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