Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 31 : After the NIA court acquitted all the accused in the 2008 Malegaon Blast case, Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday stated that it was a 'conspiracy' to defame Sanatan Dharma.
He rejected the term "Hindu terrorism," stating that Hindus are tolerant and have always supported those in distress.
Speaking to ANI, Vijayvargiya said, "A conspiracy was hatched in Malegaon to defame Sanatan Dharma. A new term was coined, 'Hindu terrorism'... A hindu can never be a terrorist. A Hindu is tolerant... The whole world knows that wherever people are in distress, India has always sheltered them..."
Vijayvargiya also criticised the Congress for coining the term and vowed to take legal action against the party over the matter.
"Chidambaram coined the term 'Hindu terror'... Today, this is a slap in the face for the entire Congress... This is a matter of shame for Congress... We will take legal action against Congress following this decision," he added.
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.
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.
The 2008 Malegaon blast case was transferred to the NIA in 2011 from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). After a 17-year-long wait, examination of hundreds of witnesses, the NIA special court on Thursday acquitted all seven people accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and all other charges.
Meanwhile, security had been heightened around the NIA court before the verdict. Visuals from the Mumbai Special NIA court showed people standing outside, awaiting the court's verdict. Notably, the witnesses had also come to the court to watch the announcement.
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.