Owaisi questioned the clean chit given by NIA to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the manner in which National Investigation Agency (NIA) had dropped all charges against Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who was accused of co-conspirating the 2008 Malegaon blast which claimed six lives and injured 101 people. The investigation agency has claimed that all the evidence against her is weak. Owaisi said that injustice has been meted against Yakub Memon as he was awarded death sentence for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. The vehicle used for carrying out the blast had belonged to Memon’s wife Raheen Memon which was used for planting explosives. Owaisi asked how Sadhvi was given clean chit by NIA even though the motor cycle in which the bomb was planted in Malegaon belonged to her. The opposition parties also have attacked the government for interfering in the Malegaon bomb blast investigation case.
Owaisi said, “Why law is not equal for everyone. The Modi government is trying to save people belonging to RSS involved in terror activities. The NDA government has pressurised the officials of NIA to save certain people involved in the Malegaon bomb blast case. “
Owaisi made these statements in a rally at Hingoli. He also spoke about other issues like drought situation prevailing in Maharashtra, Vande Mataram row, atrocities committed against Dalits, caste system in Hindu religion and failures of the Modi government. He attacked the Congress and NCP parties and held them responsible for the drought crisis in the state. Owaisi raised the issue of Waris Pathan’s suspension from the state assembly for his opposition to chant Vande Mataram.
“It was a ploy of the Congress, NCP, BJP, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi party which resulted into Pathan’s suspension. If these parties can come together to lure Muslim and Dalit voters why can’t Muslims and Dalits remain united to avert the division of secular votes,” asked Owaisi.
On the other hand, Shiv Sena welcomed the acquittal of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and others in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, stating the ATS had “falsely implicated” the Hindu outfits and that believing in the formation of “Hindu Rashtra” does not amount to saffron terrorism.
“The ATS had carried out a bogus investigation and falsely implicated certain Hindu organisations for carrying out the Malegaon blasts,” an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said.
The Malegaon blast case was investigated initially by Joint Commissioner of Mumbai’s ATS Hemant Karkare who was killed during the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Before the NIA took over the case in 2011, ATS had booked 16 people but filed charge sheets on January 20, 2009 and April 21, 2011 against 14 accused in a Mumbai court.
