Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], July 31 : After the NIA court acquitted all the accused in the 2008 Malegaon Blast case, Yog Guru Baba Ramdev said that there were efforts to defame Hindutva, Sanatan Dharma, and the saffron colour.
Ramdev criticised the terms 'Hindu terrorism' and 'saffron terrorism,' claiming that these plans to tarnish India's values have now failed. He expressed gratitude to the court for revealing the truth.
Speaking to ANI, Baba Ramdev said, "There was a panic created by calling Hindu terrorism and saffron terrorism. Some people had plans to defame Hindutva, Sanatan and Bhagwa. Their plans have failed now. The truth has come out in front of the whole world. Now, no one will be able to defame India's Sanatan Dharma by calling it Hindu terrorism or saffron terrorism. Thanks to the Court..."
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.