Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Yashwant Ambedkar has strongly criticised the recent acquittal of all accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast case, which killed six Muslim worshippers. In a post on X, Ambedkar asked, “If no one is guilty, who planned and executed the Malegaon bomb blasts?” The verdict, delivered by a special NIA court on Thursday, acquitted seven individuals linked with Hindutva outfits, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit, citing insufficient evidence. Ambedkar has questioned the entire trajectory of the investigation, including the NIA’s changing stance, lack of transparency, and erasure of key evidence initially gathered by the Maharashtra ATS under the late Hemant Karkare.
Ambedkar raised several pointed concerns, including the unexplained launch of a fresh probe by NIA despite an existing line of inquiry. “Why did the NIA ignore or abandon the initial findings? Where are the papers from the ATS investigation? Who made these decisions, and why is no one being held responsible?” he asked. The former MP also addressed the pattern of witnesses turning hostile, even those in uniform, who had earlier given critical testimonies linking the accused to conspiracy meetings. “If those witnesses lied under oath, why hasn’t anyone been charged with perjury? Or if they were pressured, why is there no investigation into witness tampering?” he added.
In a sharp indictment of the broader legal and political implications, Ambedkar warned that the verdict could set a dangerous precedent of selective justice, stating, “Are we returning to a system where like in Manu’s laws, no Brahmin or RSS affiliate is ever held guilty?” He demanded that the investigative agencies and officers involved be held accountable if evidence was planted or key facts suppressed. Meanwhile, families of the Malegaon victims have announced plans to appeal the acquittal in the High Court, determined to continue the legal fight for justice. Advocate Shahid Nadeem, representing the families, confirmed that the bomb blast itself was not denied by the court, and the victims will now seek redressal through an independent appeal.
