2006 train blasts acquittal: Owaisi asks if Maharashtra govt will act against anti-terrorism squad

Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday sought to know whether the Maharashtra government would take action against officers of its Anti-Terrorism Squad, who investigated the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, following the Bombay High Court’s acquittal of all 12 accused.

The Bombay High Court acquitted the accused, stating that the prosecution had "utterly failed" to prove its case and that it was "hard to believe they committed the crime." The court observed that the witness statements and the alleged recoveries from the accused held no evidentiary value. It overturned the convictions of all 12 individuals, five of whom had been sentenced to death and seven to life imprisonment by a special court.

Seven bomb blasts had ripped through Mumbai’s suburban trains on the Western line on July 11, 2006, killing over 180 people and injuring several others.

Reacting to the verdict in a post on 'X', the Hyderabad MP wrote: "Twelve Muslim men were in jail for 18 years for a crime they didn’t commit. Their prime years are gone. The 180 families who lost loved ones, the many injured—there is no closure for them. Will the government take action against the Maharashtra ATS officers who investigated this case?" He alleged that the parties in power in Maharashtra in 2006 were also responsible for "disregarding complaints of torture." The AIMIM chief said, "innocent people are often jailed", and when acquitted years later, they are left with no path to rebuild their lives.

He further noted that the accused had not stepped out of jail even once in the 17 years since their arrest.

According to Owaisi, in high-profile cases that generate public outcry, the police tend to start investigations by "presuming guilt".

"In such cases, police officers hold press conferences, and the way the media reports on the case often shapes a narrative that declares the accused guilty," he claimed.

"In many such terror cases, investigating agencies have failed us miserably," Owaisi alleged.