The acquittal of all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case has prompted a sharp political response from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who asserted on Thursday that the concept of ‘Hindu terror’ stands discredited.
Sarma maintained that “no Hindu can be a terrorist”, adding that the court’s ruling had reaffirmed a long-standing ideological and political position taken by the BJP.
“Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said in Parliament on Wednesday that no Hindu by philosophy can be a terrorist and the verdict of the court has also discarded the concept of Hindu terror,” Sarma said while addressing a press conference in Guwahati.
The Chief Minister accused the previous Congress-led government of coining the phrase ‘Hindu terror’ to pander to a specific vote-bank. He further argued that the Hindu way of life, across its philosophical, cultural and scriptural dimensions, has no association with violence.
“Hindu philosophy, culture, civilisation or any religious text has never encouraged anyone to become terrorists. Hindu and terror are two diametrically opposite concepts, and they do not go together,” he asserted.
Also read: All seven accused acquitted in Malegaon blast case
He further claimed the Malegaon verdict had vindicated his party’s stand on the issue. “All the accused in the case have been acquitted, and our long-standing objection to the term ‘Hindu terror’ has been once again endorsed,” Sarma said.
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai, after nearly 17 years of trial, acquitted all seven individuals accused in the September 29, 2008 Malegaon bombing. Those acquitted include BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
Six persons were killed and over 100 injured when a bomb exploded near a mosque in Malegaon, Maharashtra, during the holy month of Ramzan and on the eve of Navratri.
Special judge A K Lahoti, while pronouncing the judgement, observed that “there is no reliable and cogent evidence” against the accused. While stating that “terrorism has no religion”, the court underscored that conviction must rest on evidentiary grounds and not moral judgment.
The verdict has revived political debate around the use of religious identity in defining acts of terrorism. Sarma’s remarks indicate that the BJP views the judgement as both a legal and ideological vindication, potentially deepening the political polarisation over the issue.
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