• Source:JND
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Months after the acquittal in the 2008 Malegaon bomb Blast case, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit has been promoted to the post of Colonel.

Colonel Purohit has been elevated after years of being entangled in a legal battle, which he won on July 31 after the special NIA court ruled that mere suspicion cannot be used to convict someone and that it needed proof.

He was among the seven accused who were acquitted, including BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. The other accused who were exonerated of the charges are Major Ramesh Upadhyay (Retd), Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni. 

While acquitting them, the court cites a lack of reliable and cogent evidence. After his acquittal, Purohit had said that he was accused of something and exonerated later, and "bygones should be bygones".

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Soon after his exoneration, he was reinstated in the Army. The case dates back to September 29, 2008, when six people were killed and over 100 were injured after an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon town in Maharashtra's Nashik.

After the promotion, wishes poured in for Purohit. BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh congratulated Purohit in a post on X. “Congratulations Col. Purohit on being back in uniform.The Govt stands firmly with patriots who serve the nation with courage and integrity,” he posted on X.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also congratulated Purohit and slammed Congress for allegedly denying him his rightful elevation to Major General.

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He said, "After 17 yrs of harassment & 8 yrs in jail without evidence, Lt Col Shrikant Purohit is finally restored as Colonel. But because of Rahul Gandhi & Congress’ anti-Hindu agenda, a brilliant officer was denied his rightful rise to Major General. For Congress, its appeasement first, National pride last".