Mumbai: Friday, December 12 would also have been the birthday of a hero who laid down his life for his nation. Yes, Hemant Karkare, the slain ATS chief who had led from the front during the latest terror strikes would have been 54 on this day.
Even as his forces mourn his death, they say that the work pioneered by him will go on. His men are pressing on with the Malegaon investigations.
At the time of the Mumbai attacks, Karkare was the man leading investigations into another form of terror, allegedly by the saffron brigade.
Four of the 11 accused in the investigations spearheaded by Karkare are Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Swami Dayanand Pandey.
The Sadhvi's bike was used to plant the bomb in Malegaon on September 29, 2006, say the police. But she has vehemently denied involvement, even alleging torture at the hands of the ATS. The Army link to saffron terror had come to the fore with the arrest of Lt Col Purohit and Major Upadhyay and many had winced at the slur on one of the cleanest armed forces in the world.
Purohit is accused of siphoning explosives from military depots for making the bomb use in Malegaon. Major Upadhyay was allegedly involved in training the bombers.
The final big fish in the net is Swami Dayanand Pandey, a close associate of the other accused.
Pandey is a self styled godman and was arrested in Jammu on November 12.
While those who planned and instigated the attack are in judicial custody, the man who allegedly planted the explosives in Malegaon, is still at large.
Following the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks, media focus has shifted from the Malegaon case. But legal proceedings and investigations continue, perhaps as the team's best tribute to their chief Karkare whose integrity was unquestionable.
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