Owaisi slams acquittal in 2008 Malegaon blast case, calls out NIA, Modi govt
New Delhi: AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticised the acquittal of all accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, calling it a "shameful failure of justice" and accusing the NIA and BJP governments of deliberately weakening the case.
Reacting to today’s verdict by a special NIA court in Mumbai, Owaisi wrote on X: “The Malegaon blast case verdict is disappointing. Six namazis were killed in the blast and nearly 100 were injured. They were targeted for their religion. A deliberately shoddy investigation/prosecution is responsible for the acquittal.”
He further asked whether the Modi and Fadnavis governments would appeal the judgment with the same urgency they showed in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts acquittals, and questioned the silence of Maharashtra’s so-called secular parties. “Who killed the 6 people?” Owaisi asked pointedly.
The MP also reminded the public that in 2016, then special public prosecutor Rohini Salian had revealed that the NIA had asked her to “go soft” on the accused. He pointed out that in 2017, the agency had tried to get Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur acquitted. She later became a BJP Member of Parliament.
Owaisi also referred to the late Hemant Karkare, the ATS chief who had initially uncovered the Malegaon conspiracy and was killed in the 26/11 attacks. “The BJP MP [Pragya Thakur] said she had cursed him, and his death was a result of that curse,” he wrote.
Ending his statement, Owaisi questioned whether NIA and ATS officers would be held accountable for the botched investigation.
“This is the ‘tough on terror’ Modi government. The world will remember that it made a terror accused a Member of Parliament,” he concluded.
Earlier in the day, the court acquitted all seven accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, citing lack of evidence. The blast had occurred on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon, Maharashtra, killing six and injuring over 100 people.
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Barber held for beating man to death over 'bidi' in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A 32-year-old barber was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly beating a man to death following an altercation over a 'bidi' in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar area, police said.
A call regarding the incident that occurred near the bus stand road in Shashi Garden was received at 1.24 am, they said.
The victim was identified as Deepak (28), while the accused was Manoj, he added.
According to the police, during an argument, the accused picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and struck the victim repeatedly on the head. Multiple injuries and bruise marks were also found on the victim's forehead.
"Deepak was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead," an officer said.
An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, the officer added.
