Hours after the acquittal of all the accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hailed the order and said that terrorism was never saffron and will never be.
"Terrorism was never saffron, is not and will never be," Mr Fadnavis posted on X.
Reacting to the order, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said the verdict has wiped off the stigma on the Hindu community. He claimed that Hindus can never engage in anti-national activities and hit out at the Congress for coining the absurd term of Hindu terrorism.
“Truth is never defeated. After a long battle of seventeen years, a special court has acquitted seven alleged accused in the Malegaon bomb blast case. It is true that justice was delayed, but it has once again been proven that truth is never defeated,” Shinde said in a post on X.
“Hindus can never engage in anti-national activities, because patriotism is a sacred duty for those who follow Hinduism. The absurd term "Hindu terrorism" was coined by conspiratorial Congress leaders. What answer do they have now for such blatant falsehoods?,” he added further.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress hit out at Fadnavis, saying the CM had no regrets over the loss of innocent lives in the blast and that his reaction to the court verdict showed his political mindset. It also sought to know if the government would challenge the court's decision in the higher court, as it did after the 7/11 blasts case accused were acquitted.
State Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule said the verdict of the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in the Malegaon bomb blast case was not merely a judicial decision but an exposure of a long-running political conspiracy to defame.
Nearly 17 years after the Malegaon blast claimed six lives, a special court here on Thursday acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, noting there was no reliable and cogent evidence against them.