New Delhi [India], July 31 : Following the NIA court's acquittal of all accused in the Malegaon blast case, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing it of promoting the narrative of "Saffron Terrorism."
Citing Union Home Minister's recent statement in the Rajya Sabha, Dubey remarked, "What did the Union Home Minister say in the Rajya Sabha yesterday? A Hindu cannot be a terrorist. All the terrorists in this country have only one religion. It has been proven. Congress did the dirty work of spreading the term 'Saffron Terrorism'... Everything is clear now, and the Congress will have to face the consequences... Instead of catching Pakistani terrorists, why were the people of India accused...?"
Earlier on Thursday, Mumbai's Special NIA court acquitted all seven accused of being involved in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, with the court saying that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The NIA court has also ordered the Maharashtra government to award Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 compensation to the injured.
A total of 7 people were accused, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya) and Sameer Kulkarni have been acquitted.
The court had examined 323 prosecution witnesses and 8 defence witnesses before pronouncing the verdict. The 7 people have been acquitted of all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and all other charges.
"Prosecution proved that a blast occurred in Malegaon but failed to prove that a bomb was placed in that motorcycle," Judge Abhay Lohati said.
On September 29 2008, six people were killed and 95 others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City's Bhikku Chowk. Originally, 11 people were accused in the case; however, the court ultimately framed charges against 7, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya.