Terrorism should not be associated with any religion: Digvijaya Singh on Malegaon blast acquittals

New Delhi: Terrorism should not be associated with any religion and no faith advocates violence, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said on Thursday after a special NIA court acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Extremists are individuals who distort religion to spread hatred, the Rajya Sabha MP said. The seven accused who were acquitted include Lt Col Prasad Purohit and former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.

BJP leaders have claimed that Singh is responsible for coining the term saffron terrorism.

"Neither can a Hindu be a terrorist, nor a Muslim, Sikh or Christian," Singh told PTI Videos in Parliament complex after the verdict.

"Every religion is an embodiment of love, goodwill, truth, and non-violence," he added, underlining that all religions are rooted in peace.

He dismissed allegations by BJP leaders that the Congress had coined the term “Hindu terrorism” for political gain.

“The BJP is absolutely wrong in saying that the term ‘Hindu terror’ was coined by the Congress,” Singh said.

The 2008 Malegaon blast killed six people and injured over a hundred. The bomb exploded near a mosque in the Maharashtra town.

The court cited a lack of "cogent and reliable" evidence and concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.