'No 'terror meet' took place on our campus'

Nashik-based Bhonsalal Military School (BMS) on Friday said no meeting took place in the institution among retired major Ramesh Shivji Upadhyay, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and a serving lieutanant Colonel, who have been interrogated in connection with the Malegaon blasts.

"As per our information, no such meeting took place in our school among the trio and our name is unnecessarily being dragged into the case," Diwakar Kulkarni, Divisional Secretary, Hindu Madhyavarty Sainiki Shikshan Sanstha, which runs the BMS, said.

"This is an attempt to malign the image of our 70-year-old institution," Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni was responding to media reports that Thakur, Upadhayay and the Colonel had a meeting at the school on September 13 before the Malegaon blasts on September 29.

Kulkarni, however, said that the Colonel, who was recently transferred to Madhya Pradesh, was earlier attached to the artillery unit at Devlali here and had attended many programmes at the BMS.

Also, he said that discussions on the concept of Abhinav Bharat were held in its premises, without giving further details about it.

So far five persons--Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Shivnarayan Singh Kalsangram, Shyam Bhawarlal Sahu, retired major Ramesh Shivji Upadhyay and Sameer Kulkarni have been arrested in connection with Malegaon blasts, which killed five people.