July 31, 2025

On Thursday, BJP leaders welcomed the verdict from the Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court which acquitted all seven defendants in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. The blast, which occurred on September 29, 2008, took place near a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra, leading to six fatalities and injuries to around 100 individuals. Post-verdict, Ravi Kishan, a BJP MP from Gorakhpur, expressed mixed emotions, marrying sympathy for the acquitted families with criticism towards the Congress party. He stated that it was painful for families to endure false allegations for 17 years. Kishan argued that the Congress party, which characterized the accused with the term 'Bhagwa Terrorism', should explain the basis of such claims to the public, particularly the Hindu community in India. Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, took to social media to celebrate the ruling, asserting that 'terrorism was never saffron.' Other BJP leaders also voiced strong responses, indicating that this verdict signifies justice not only for those acquitted but also for the Hindu community at large. Brij Lal, another BJP MP, commended Colonel Purohit, stating that the allegations against him as a terrorist were unfounded from the beginning and demanded an apology from prominent Congress leaders for promoting the narrative of so-called Hindu terrorism. The court, presided over by Judge AK Lahoti, announced that there was a lack of cogent and reliable evidence establishing guilt, which led to the acquittal. Significant concerns arose over the prosecution's inability to demonstrate that the motorcycle linked to the blast was owned by Pragya Thakur or even to confirm its evidence. Judge Lahoti criticized the investigative process, citing failures such as the absence of a crime scene sketch, lack of physical evidence such as fingerprints, and contamination of crucial samples. In acquitting co-accused Lt Colonel Shrikant Purohit, the court highlighted there was no clear evidence of him possessing or assembling explosives at any time. Furthermore, the applicability of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to the case was dismissed because necessary sanctions were not properly obtained, with the presiding judge remarking on the defectiveness of the orders pertaining to UAPA. Interestingly, the court also clarified that discrepancies existed around the number of injuries reported in the blast, stating that the actual figure was 95, not the 101 initially claimed, which raises questions about the accuracy of medical documentation from the incident. The Malegaon blast case was transferred to the NIA in 2011, after it was initially managed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. The acquitted individuals had been on bail prior to this recent verdict, effectively vindicating them amidst the long-standing controversy and implications of the case. In the aftermath of the verdict, BJP leaders continue to press for accountability from the Congress party concerning their previous statements on Hindu terrorism, with allegations of political manipulation surfacing during the proceedings leading up to the trial. As reactions continue to unfold, the case remains a significant point of contention within Indian politics and public discourse.

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Tags: Malegaon blast, Bjp, Sadhvi pragya singh thakur, Nia court verdict, Hindu terrorism,