"When will you find the real accused?" Arvind Sawant on acquittal of accused in Malegaon blast case

New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): After a special NIA court acquitted all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant on Friday questioned the government, asking it to find the actual accused responsible for the blasts that claimed six lives.
Reacting to the acquittal of the accused in the 2006 Mumbai blast and the 2008 Malegaon blast, Sawant asked the government to find the real accused in both cases.
"Nothing will happen by playing the blame game. What has happened is done now. All I want to ask is, who is the real accused? When will you find the real accused? In both cases (2006 Mumbai blast and 2008 Malegaon blast), the accused have been acquitted, better late than never, but who is the real accused?" Sawant told ANI.
His reaction comes after the Mumbai Special National Investigative Agency Court (NIA) acquitted all seven accused of being involved in the 2008 blasts of Malegaon, with the court saying the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The verdict has sparked reactions from spiritual leaders and political parties across the country, with the ruling party trying to corner Congress over "saffron terror" remarks.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday accused the Congress of creating a "conspiracy of Bhagwa terror" and demanded an apology from Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, further noting that Congress can do anything for votes.
Speaking to the media, Prasad said, "The Congress can go to any limits for the vote bank. Congress created a conspiracy of Bhagwa Terror and started spreading it... The court found that there was no evidence or chassis number of the motorcycle. The witnesses also said that they were tortured and forced to make statements..."
Taking aim at Congress leader and former Union Minister in the UPA regime, P Chidambaram, BJP leader Prasad said, "Chidambaram not only give certificates to Pakistan... He raised the issue of Bhagwa terror as the Home Minister and conspired to create a narrative... Why is Rahul Gandhi running away from the truth?"
While BJP leaders welcomed the judgment and demanded an apology from Congress, opposition parties said that the verdict was intended to suppress the big news of the US announcing the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on India.
On September 29 2008, six people were killed and 95 others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City's Bhikku Chowk. Originally, 11 people were accused in the case; however, the court ultimately framed charges against 7, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya.
The lawyer representing the victims' families said that he will be challenging the acquittal of the seven people in the High Court. (ANI)