Malegaon blast case verdict a 'slap' on Congress, says MP Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya

Indore, Aug 3 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Congress following the acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, saying the court's verdict is a "slap on the face" of the Congress, which he alleged had tried to trap innocent people to promote a narrative of "Hindu terror".

Speaking at the Chhadi Nishan Poojan programme of Goga Dev on the occasion of Goga Navami at Hansdas Math in Indore, Vijayvargiya said, "These innocents were harassed for years by trapping them in false cases, and today the court's decision is like a slap on the face of big Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi and P. Chidambaram."

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on July 31 acquitted all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

The court dropped all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), citing a lack of sufficient evidence to support the prosecution's claims.

Accusing Congress of torturing the accused, Vijayvargiya added, "These people behaved very cruelly with Sadhvi Pragya Singh due to which she still has back pain, and Congress tortured innocent people by keeping them in jail by calling it 'Bhagwa atankwad (saffron terror)'. They were asked to take the names of the people of the Sangh (Rashtra Swayamsevak Sangh), but they did not relent."

"This decision is a slap on the face of Congress leaders," he added.

Vijayvargiya further said that "no condemnation would be enough" for the years of alleged harassment inflicted by Congress on the accused, reiterating his stance that they were falsely implicated.

The blast took place on September 29, 2008, near Bhikku Chowk mosque in Malegaon city, Nashik district of Maharashtra. A bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded during the holy month of Ramzan and just days before the Hindu festival of Navratri.

The explosion killed six people and injured over 100 others in the communally sensitive town.

After nearly 17 years of legal proceedings, the verdict was delivered in a packed courtroom with all the accused present, as directed by the court.

In addition to the acquittal, the court also ordered compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of each of the six deceased and Rs 50,000 for every injured victim.

--IANS

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