Political reactions continue to pour in following the NIA court's acquittal of all accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued his first response on the matter. He welcomed the court's decision in a post on social media platform X, calling it a "living declaration of Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Triumphs)."
CM Yogi bly criticized the Congress, stating that this decision has once again exposed the party's anti-India, anti-justice, and anti-Sanatan character. He alleged that Congress tarnished the image of crores of followers of Sanatan Dharma, saints, and patriots by coining a false term like 'saffron terror.' Yogi also demanded a public apology from Congress to the country for this "unforgivable crime."
What did the court's decision say?
On July 31, the NIA court acquitted all the accused related to the Malegaon blast due to lack of evidence. The court stated that no evidence was found linking the recovery of explosives from the house of accused Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit or their assembly. Pointing to serious flaws in the investigation, the court noted that neither a sketch was made nor were fingerprints, dump data, or other conclusive evidence collected during the panchnama (record of evidence) at the scene.
Furthermore, the chassis number of the motorcycle allegedly involved in the blast was unclear, and the prosecution could not prove that the bike was in the possession of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur before the blast. The court also stated that the forensic samples were contaminated, making the investigation report neither conclusive nor reliable. Due to all these reasons, the court acquitted all the accused, giving them the benefit of the doubt.
BJP Holds Congress Responsible
The BJP also reacted bly to the verdict. Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Congress's 'Hindu terrorism' conspiracy has now completely failed. He said that there was no concrete evidence against any of the accused, yet Colonel Purohit, who fought terrorism in Kashmir, and Sadhvi Pragya Thakur were targeted for political reasons.
Prasad alleged that Sadhvi Pragya was tortured to the extent that she became unable to walk. He said that all this was part of Congress's vote bank politics, and now the truth has come before everyone in the form of the court's decision. The BJP leader welcomed the decision and also demanded an apology from the Congress.
