Did RSS Welcome the Malegaon Blast Case Judgment?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- All accused in the Malegaon blast case were acquitted.
- RSS and BJP hailed the verdict as a victory for truth.
- The Congress faced criticism for using the term 'Saffron terror.'
- The case has reignited political debates across India.
- Political leaders called for responsible dialogue on communal issues.
New Delhi, July 31 (NationPress) In a significant development, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed strong support following the court's decision to acquit all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, which claimed six lives and injured over 100 individuals. They celebrated the ruling as a confirmation of truth and criticized the Congress for its derogatory term “Saffron terror” associated with this tragic event.
Sunil Ambekar, the RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh, remarked to IANS in Nagpur, “Today’s court ruling clarifies the truth in the Malegaon blast case. Certain individuals, motivated by personal and political agendas, misled the investigation and wrongfully linked the incident to Hinduism and the Hindu community as a whole. After a lengthy judicial process, the truth has emerged.”
In parallel, the BJP celebrated the outcome, criticizing the Congress for its alleged exploitation of the term “Saffron terror” for political leverage.
Earlier, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted that the Congress coined the term to malign Hindutva and Hindu identity, stating, “It was a malicious campaign to demonize a whole community for electoral advantage.”
Prasad further added, “The Congress party is willing to go to any lengths for vote-bank politics. We assert that they orchestrated a false narrative dubbed 'Bhagwa aatankwad'.”
Reacting to the judgment, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted, “Terrorism has never been saffron, is not, and will never be.”
This acquittal has reignited political discourse, with the BJP demanding an apology from Congress leaders for their use of the term “saffron terror.”
In contrast, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh emphasized that terrorism should not be linked to any religion and that no faith promotes violence.
The seven defendants on trial included Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a former BJP MP; Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, then a serving Military Intelligence officer; Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay; Ajay Rahirkar; Sudhakar Dwivedi; Sudhakar Chaturvedi; and Sameer Kulkarni.