MUMBAI: The opposition criticised the ruling party for failing to provide evidence against the accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, which led to the acquittal of all seven accused.
Former Congress Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the 2008 bomb blast near a mosque in Malegaon had killed six people and injured over 100, and that even the NIA special court acknowledged this.
“The question remains - why has no one been held guilty or convicted for this crime? Who killed these people in the blast? This shows that the investigating agencies, under the BJP-led government, deliberately withheld evidence that could have established the crime against the accused,” Chavan alleged.
He alleged that since the NIA works under Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the special court’s order acquitting all seven accused in the case was expected.
“No one is surprised with this order of the court. No one was held guilty in the Mumbai train bomb blast case as well. The High Court had then acquitted all accused because the probe agencies could not find any evidence. And the same, happened in Malegaon bomb blast as well.
"As long as these probe agencies are under Amit Shah, such kind of order will be delivered where no one will be guilty. Now, what are you going to do to the victims whose family members were killed in these blasts,” asked Chavan.
He added that the verdict was a failure on the part of the NIA.
“Why should the Congress apologise for the actions of the NIA and those who control it?” he questioned.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said the Congress had paid a heavy price due to terrorism and had always taken a firm stand against it.
“We lost leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi to acts of terror. We do not support any form of terrorism, and terrorism has no religion,” he said.
He also questioned whether the state government would approach the Supreme Court, as it did after the High Court verdict in the Mumbai train blast case.
“Following the Mumbai train blast verdict the state government immediately rushed to Supreme Court to stay the order, will it do the same in Malegaon bomb blast case,” he asked..