Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col) Shrikant Purohit wrote a 24-page letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in December 2013. The letter that contains shocking details of a serving Army Intelligence Officer’s torture was reported by Times Now. Purohit’s heart-wrenching letter makes it clear that the Congress regime got a serving army officer tortured only because they wanted to create a particular political narrative.

The letter contains details of the torture inflicted for weeks in October and November 2008 by the Maharashtra ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) and a Military Intelligence officer. Purohit names Military Intelligence Officer Col Rajiv Kumar Srivastav and ATS officers Param Bir Singh, Mohan Kulkarni, Arun Khanvilkar and late Hemant Karkare in his complaint.

The brutal torture of Lt.Col Shrikant Purohit

Purohit says he was picked up from Panchmarhi’s Army Education Service’s Training School in Madhya Pradesh (MP) on October 29, 2008, by Col.R K Srivastava with an order from Delhi Intelligence Head Quarters to join them for a discussion. After giving him an order to move, they took away all of his cell phones. At Bhopal airport, Srivastava, who was in charge, became very rude. He warned him not to make any phone calls and threatened him with violence.

When they reached Mumbai airport, an Intelligence Bureau officer named Sanjeev Garg was there with a vehicle to take Purohit. It was late at night when they took Purohit to a place in Mumbai to question him. Right away, they started questioning him, and after a short while, they began physically abusing him. Hemant Karkare and Param Bir Singh were present and involved in this. They kept asking him over several days to admit he was responsible for the Malegaon blast.

Purohit described a terrible incident where Colonel RK Srivastava suddenly attacked him physically and verbally. Srivastava used very disrespectful language about Purohit’s family and then started hitting and kicking him. It seemed like this had been planned, as other officers and even some constables joined in. They held Purohit down and pulled his hair, making him unable to defend himself.

Purohit explained that not only Srivastava, but also the head of the ATS Maharashtra Police, Hemant Karkare, who has since passed away, and Param Bir Singh, an IPS officer, were involved in torturing him. They went to the extent of stripping him and attacking his private parts in an attempt to force him to admit to causing the Malegaon blast and taking responsibility for it.

On November 5, when Purohit was brought before a Magistrate, despite facing threats, he bravely spoke about the torture he endured at the hands of the cruel officers: Col. R K Srivastava, Hemant Karkare, and the team led by Param Bir Singh. After revealing the details of the torture to the Magistrate, Purohit was taken to an Army Hospital for treatment. The hospital records confirm that he was subjected to severe brutality, resulting in injuries and numbness in many parts of his body, including private areas. What’s even worse is that after being discharged from the hospital, these officers who acted wrongly took him into custody.

During the official custodial questioning, the use of torture and extreme force continued for weeks. They were pressuring Purohit intensely to confess to the crime of distributing bombs and explosives to other individuals they referred to as ‘Hindu terrorists’, led by Sadhvi Pragya. Purohit’s body was kept hanging in various painful positions using iron rods for many days and all the while ATS team continued to beat him. Shockingly, the ATS officers even encouraged the constables to take pleasure in assaulting an Army Colonel!

Throughout the torture, the ATS officers repeatedly threatened him. They warned that they would falsely implicate him by planting explosives at his home and unjustly imprisoning his mother and wife. They went so far as to shout at him that his children would end up as orphans.

For several weeks, the interrogation team subjected Purohit to brutal treatment, causing injuries and contorting his private parts through actions like stripping him and hanging him from iron rods in various positions. It’s remarkable that Col Purohit didn’t yield to their demands despite enduring this horrifying torture inflicted by the team, which was led by Col RK Srivastava, Hemant Karkare, and Param Bir Singh.

It’s important to acknowledge Col. Purohit’s bravery in this situation. The framing of Col Purohit shows the rot in the country’s political system where those in power are able to get an army officer tortured for their narrow political gains and agenda. Both the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) should thoroughly investigate this shocking incident.

The officers who were responsible for this unacceptable behaviour should be held accountable to ensure justice for Col. Purohit. All officers involved in this misconduct must face legal consequences for their custodial torture actions. Furthermore, a comprehensive investigation is necessary to uncover any underlying malicious intentions of political leaders like Sonia Gandhi, P. Chidambaram, and Digvijaya Singh, who appear to have played a significant role in this. It is important to ascertain the truth and ensure that justice is upheld in this distressing case.

Former Home Secretary’s book

It is worth drawing the attention of the readers to the book titled “Hindu Terror – An Insider Account of Ministry of Home Affairs”, authored by former Under Secretary R V S Mani, which sheds light on a mysterious connection between Congress leader Digvijaya Singh who was the first to propagate the false Hindu Terror Theory and the late IPS officer Hemant Karkare. The book reveals a specific incident from 2006 when R V S Mani was called to the office of then Home Minister Shivraj Patil shortly after an explosion occurred at the Nagpur RSS Headquarters.

During this meeting, both Digvijaya Singh and Hemant Karkare were present alongside Shivraj Patil. While Patil remained silent, it was Digvijaya Singh and Hemant Karkare who directed questions at RVS Mani regarding the explosion. RVS Mani, who held the position of Under Secretary in the Internal Security Division, presented his perspective on the involvement of SIMI elements in the blast. However, his explanation did not align with the views of Digvijay and Karkare.

In his book, RVS Mani describes how these individuals began propagating a false theory of Hindu Terror, diverting attention from the actual details. This incident marked the beginning of the circulation of this fabricated theory.

(Featured Image Source: Vartha Bharati)