NEW DELHI: In a series of coordinated statements, BJP leaders tore into the Congress, claiming that the Malegaon blast case was driven by political vendetta aimed at defaming Hindu saints and nationalists.
Seventeen years after a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon, killing six people and injuring over 100, a special NIA court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
The court said the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt and cited the absence of "cogent and reliable" evidence.
The court also directed the Maharashtra government to pay Rs 2 lakh to the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
BJP, allies slam Congress for 'Hindu terror' narrative
Reacting to the verdict, top BJP leaders accused the Congress-led UPA government of fabricating the "Hindu terror" narrative to target political opponents. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the police acted under pressure during the UPA regime and demanded an apology from the Congress.
"The fake Hindu terror narrative set by the UPA for minority appeasement was exposed by the court order," he said. "Congress should apologise to the acquitted accused and the entire Hindu society."
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma echoed the sentiment. “The verdict proves there is no such thing as Hindu terror,” he said. “No Hindu by philosophy can be a terrorist.”
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde called the verdict a “slap on the face of those who called it saffron terror” and claimed it was a conspiracy to defame Hindutva. “Innocent people were jailed for 17 years,” he said.
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the entire case was "a Congress conspiracy to spread the Hindu terror theory". "Colonel Purohit fought against terrorists in Kashmir, and he was framed. Sadhvi Pragya couldn’t even walk after the torture she suffered. This was all for vote-bank politics," he said at a press conference.
Former Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das called the verdict a “slap on the Congress’s misdeeds,” posting on X: “The Congress and its allies must answer for defaming Hindus and causing immense harassment to innocent people.”
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey invoked Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent Rajya Sabha statement: “A Hindu cannot be a terrorist. All terrorists in this country have only one religion. Congress polluted the discourse with 'Saffron Terrorism'. Now it's clear, the real culprits were never caught because the focus was on blaming Indians instead of Pakistani terrorists.”
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “The term ‘Hindu terror’ was coined with political motives. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress ecosystem owe an explanation for maligning an entire faith.”
Shehzad Poonawalla, BJP spokesperson, accused the Congress of running a campaign of lies. “This verdict is not just a legal outcome, it’s a political and moral victory against those who used Malegaon to vilify nationalists. Congress should tender an unconditional apology,” he posted on X.
BJP MLA and state minister Nitesh Rane echoed the sentiment, going a step further saying, “Those who coined the term saffron terror must apologise with folded hands and rub their noses at the feet of the acquitted individuals, who lost 17 years of their lives.”
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Praful Patel also distanced himself from the controversial phrase saying, “‘Bhagwa Atankwad’ is not a word. It was used only during the Congress era and was politically motivated,” he said, adding, “We must all respect the judiciary’s verdict.”
Former Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti broke down while recalling the alleged torture BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur endured during her jail time. "When she was in Nashik jail, a police officer told me how she was tortured. I met her when no one else did. I cried. What she went through, no woman should ever face,” Bharti told ANI.
Bharti accused Congress leaders, including P Chidambaram, Digvijay Singh, and Rahul Gandhi, as well as leaders of the Left and Samajwadi Party, of coining and promoting the “Bhagwa terror” tag. “I want to ask what punishment they deserve for pushing this narrative? Extraordinary action must be taken against them,” she demanded.
Social media also witnessed a flurry of support for the acquitted, with BJP supporters using hashtags like #SaffronTerrorLies and #MalegaonVerdict to trend pro-BJP sentiments.
Owaisi questions probe, calls verdict 'disappointing'
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the acquittal, alleging that the investigation was deliberately weakened. “Six namazis were killed and nearly 100 were injured. They were targeted for their religion,” he said in a post on X. He also asked whether the state would appeal the verdict as it did in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case.
Owaisi blamed the Modi government for making a “terror accused” a Member of Parliament and questioned the alleged directive to former prosecutor Rohini Salian to "go soft" on the case. “Will NIA/ATS officers be held accountable for their faulty investigation?” he asked.
Congress defends record, says terror has no religion
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh responded by saying that terrorism should not be linked to any religion. “Neither can a Hindu be a terrorist, nor a Muslim, Sikh or Christian,” he said. Singh rejected the charge that Congress coined the term "Hindu terror" and said the BJP was wrongly blaming the party.
Congress leader and former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, while reacting to the verdict, said it was the responsibility of the government and investigative agencies to present credible evidence.
“If the case was fake, the governments since 2014 should have reinvestigated or dropped it. Someone has killed innocent people. It’s the government’s duty to find out who,” Chavan said.
He stressed that the original chargesheet had been filed by the Maharashtra ATS, but the case was taken over by the NIA in 2011.
“The Congress or victims’ families are not responsible for providing evidence. That’s the job of the state and Centre,” he added.
Congress MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also pushed back, saying, “When did we ever let terrorists go? The Congress laid down its lives for the unity and integrity of the country.”
Accused speak out, allege political conspiracy
Shyam Sahu, one of the accused who was discharged in 2017, claimed that the case was part of a Congress conspiracy to malign Hindus. “While I was in jail, my brother died of a heart attack during a hearing. My family can never be compensated for that loss,” he said, adding that justice had finally been served.
Victims' lawyer plans to challenge acquittal
The lawyer representing the victims’ families said he would challenge the acquittal in the high court. “Six people died and over 100 were injured. If these people are not guilty, then who is?” he asked.
What the court said
Judge AK Lahoti, who delivered the verdict, said the prosecution proved that a blast occurred but failed to prove that the accused were behind it. “Terrorism has no religion, but conviction cannot be based on moral grounds,” the judge remarked while acquitting the accused of charges under the UAPA, IPC and Arms Act.
Timeline of events in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case
Seventeen years after a bomb strapped to a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon, killing six people and injuring over 100, a special NIA court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
The court said the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt and cited the absence of "cogent and reliable" evidence.
The court also directed the Maharashtra government to pay Rs 2 lakh to the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
BJP, allies slam Congress for 'Hindu terror' narrative
Reacting to the verdict, top BJP leaders accused the Congress-led UPA government of fabricating the "Hindu terror" narrative to target political opponents. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the police acted under pressure during the UPA regime and demanded an apology from the Congress.
"The fake Hindu terror narrative set by the UPA for minority appeasement was exposed by the court order," he said. "Congress should apologise to the acquitted accused and the entire Hindu society."
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma echoed the sentiment. “The verdict proves there is no such thing as Hindu terror,” he said. “No Hindu by philosophy can be a terrorist.”
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde called the verdict a “slap on the face of those who called it saffron terror” and claimed it was a conspiracy to defame Hindutva. “Innocent people were jailed for 17 years,” he said.
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the entire case was "a Congress conspiracy to spread the Hindu terror theory". "Colonel Purohit fought against terrorists in Kashmir, and he was framed. Sadhvi Pragya couldn’t even walk after the torture she suffered. This was all for vote-bank politics," he said at a press conference.
Former Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das called the verdict a “slap on the Congress’s misdeeds,” posting on X: “The Congress and its allies must answer for defaming Hindus and causing immense harassment to innocent people.”
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey invoked Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent Rajya Sabha statement: “A Hindu cannot be a terrorist. All terrorists in this country have only one religion. Congress polluted the discourse with 'Saffron Terrorism'. Now it's clear, the real culprits were never caught because the focus was on blaming Indians instead of Pakistani terrorists.”
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “The term ‘Hindu terror’ was coined with political motives. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress ecosystem owe an explanation for maligning an entire faith.”
Shehzad Poonawalla, BJP spokesperson, accused the Congress of running a campaign of lies. “This verdict is not just a legal outcome, it’s a political and moral victory against those who used Malegaon to vilify nationalists. Congress should tender an unconditional apology,” he posted on X.
BJP MLA and state minister Nitesh Rane echoed the sentiment, going a step further saying, “Those who coined the term saffron terror must apologise with folded hands and rub their noses at the feet of the acquitted individuals, who lost 17 years of their lives.”
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Praful Patel also distanced himself from the controversial phrase saying, “‘Bhagwa Atankwad’ is not a word. It was used only during the Congress era and was politically motivated,” he said, adding, “We must all respect the judiciary’s verdict.”
Former Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti broke down while recalling the alleged torture BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur endured during her jail time. "When she was in Nashik jail, a police officer told me how she was tortured. I met her when no one else did. I cried. What she went through, no woman should ever face,” Bharti told ANI.
Bharti accused Congress leaders, including P Chidambaram, Digvijay Singh, and Rahul Gandhi, as well as leaders of the Left and Samajwadi Party, of coining and promoting the “Bhagwa terror” tag. “I want to ask what punishment they deserve for pushing this narrative? Extraordinary action must be taken against them,” she demanded.
Social media also witnessed a flurry of support for the acquitted, with BJP supporters using hashtags like #SaffronTerrorLies and #MalegaonVerdict to trend pro-BJP sentiments.
Owaisi questions probe, calls verdict 'disappointing'
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the acquittal, alleging that the investigation was deliberately weakened. “Six namazis were killed and nearly 100 were injured. They were targeted for their religion,” he said in a post on X. He also asked whether the state would appeal the verdict as it did in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case.
Owaisi blamed the Modi government for making a “terror accused” a Member of Parliament and questioned the alleged directive to former prosecutor Rohini Salian to "go soft" on the case. “Will NIA/ATS officers be held accountable for their faulty investigation?” he asked.
Congress defends record, says terror has no religion
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh responded by saying that terrorism should not be linked to any religion. “Neither can a Hindu be a terrorist, nor a Muslim, Sikh or Christian,” he said. Singh rejected the charge that Congress coined the term "Hindu terror" and said the BJP was wrongly blaming the party.
Congress leader and former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, while reacting to the verdict, said it was the responsibility of the government and investigative agencies to present credible evidence.
“If the case was fake, the governments since 2014 should have reinvestigated or dropped it. Someone has killed innocent people. It’s the government’s duty to find out who,” Chavan said.
He stressed that the original chargesheet had been filed by the Maharashtra ATS, but the case was taken over by the NIA in 2011.
“The Congress or victims’ families are not responsible for providing evidence. That’s the job of the state and Centre,” he added.
Congress MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also pushed back, saying, “When did we ever let terrorists go? The Congress laid down its lives for the unity and integrity of the country.”
Accused speak out, allege political conspiracy
Shyam Sahu, one of the accused who was discharged in 2017, claimed that the case was part of a Congress conspiracy to malign Hindus. “While I was in jail, my brother died of a heart attack during a hearing. My family can never be compensated for that loss,” he said, adding that justice had finally been served.
Victims' lawyer plans to challenge acquittal
The lawyer representing the victims’ families said he would challenge the acquittal in the high court. “Six people died and over 100 were injured. If these people are not guilty, then who is?” he asked.
What the court said
Judge AK Lahoti, who delivered the verdict, said the prosecution proved that a blast occurred but failed to prove that the accused were behind it. “Terrorism has no religion, but conviction cannot be based on moral grounds,” the judge remarked while acquitting the accused of charges under the UAPA, IPC and Arms Act.
Timeline of events in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case
- Sept 29, 2008: Bomb explodes on motorcycle in Malegaon, killing six and injuring over 100
- Sept 30: FIR filed at Azad Nagar Police Station
- Oct 21: ATS takes over probe
- Oct 23: First arrests, including Pragya Singh Thakur
- Nov 2008: Lt Col Purohit arrested
- Jan 2009: Charges filed under MCOCA, UAPA, IPC
- July 2009: MCOCA dropped by special court
- July 2010: Bombay HC restores MCOCA charges
- April 2011: NIA takes over investigation
- Feb–Dec 2012: NIA makes two more arrests
- May 2016: NIA drops MCOCA charges; gives clean chit to 7
- Apr–Sept 2017: All accused granted bail
- Dec 2017: 3 accused discharged; UAPA charges dropped
- Oct 2018: Charges framed against 7 accused
- Dec 2018: Trial begins
- Sept 2023: Prosecution concludes after 323 witnesses (37 hostile)
- July 2024: Defence concludes after 8 witnesses
- Aug 12, 2024: Final statements recorded
- Apr 19, 2025: Trial closed for judgment
- July 31, 2025: All accused acquitted due to lack of evidence
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