Certain other questions also remain unexplained. When TSI approached the Army to check on the possibility of RDX being procured from them, a senior Army officer categorically asserted that the “Army neither uses nor stores RDX. We use only plastic explosives and TNT. The RDX seized during a raid on terrorist hideout is always handed over to the local police.” As per army rules, it requires a chain of command to procure even plastic and TNT explosives from the army ordinance and involves at least four-five officers as witnesses and a lengthy documentation process. Some former officials say that that man in uniform is the easiest target in India. “The army has become a punching bag. Since it has no ways and means to give its side of the story, all reports are believed. In a 1.3 million-strong army, if one man is convicted, it never shows the general trend. Such cases in India are rare. In the case of Col Purohit, the investigation is still on” says Lt. Gen. Raj Kadyan, a former deputy chief of army. The Congress demand of setting up a multi-disciplinary Task Force to conduct a threadbare investigation of the Malegaon blasts could help. Importantly, such an investigation could possibly keep at bay prying busybees, such as a media hungry for headlines - never mind the damage it could cause - and politicians who do not look beyond their electoral noses. India, after all, is justifiably proud to be a developing country where the military prefers the barracks to civilian office. Most people are agreed that it would help it keep that way.....Continue
