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There's A Wolf In The Foxhole

The Indian army faces up to seeing, for the first time, a serving officer charged with terrorism

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There's A Wolf In The Foxhole
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The 36-year-old officer is said to have provided training, arms and even passed on funds to the group. The ATS says monies were passed on to Abhay Rahirkar, the Abhinav Bharat treasurer. The officer also passed on imported revolvers and cartridges to Rakesh Dhawde. Purohit was also in touch with the organisation’s working president Major (retd) Ramesh Upadhyay via text messages immediately after the Malegaon blasts. Transcripts reveal the former knew about the terror attack.

Purohit’s arrest raises several uncomfortable questions for the army. Section 21 of the Army Act of 1950 specifically restricts commissioned officers from being associated with "any society, institution or association". They are also not allowed to "attend or address any meeting or to take part in any demonstration organised by any body of persons for political or other purposes".

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Did Purohit transgress Section 21? The ATS claims Purohit crossed the line, participating in several meetings of the Abhinav Bharat. Not only were the outfit’s hardline Hindutva moorings wellknown, it also propounded that the forces be designated as the "Bharatiya Armed Forces". It believed the army should be reconstituted in tune with "Bharatiya tradition" and wanted the MoD to be renamed the "Ministry of War". In the days to come, the establishment will have to look at the Purohit case more closely. Who were his links and, more importantly, are there others like him serving in the forces?

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