We are seeing a pattern: Owaisi on bail order

With the Supreme Court on Monday granting bail to Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Shrikant Prasad Purohit, the Opposition said the BJP-led NDA government was “protecting all the terror accused” connected to the RSS.

While CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury called the verdict “surprising and strange”, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi charged the Modi government with going “soft” on terror cases involving Hindus.

“Since 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge, we are seeing a pattern. All terror cases in which Hindus are accused are being dropped,” Owaisi said in Hyderabad.

He said bail was the right of the people but questioned why it was not being granted to Muslims, Dalits and tribals who were languishing in various Indian jails. “Terror should not be looked at through the prism of religion. Terror exists and people use religion,” the Hyderabad MP said.

Yechury sought a clarification from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), asking why the arrests were made in the first place if bail was to be given subsequently. “This questions the NIA’s credibility. The NIA was responsible for the arrest of Pragya Thakur, Aseemanand, and Lt Col Purohit. Now, these people have got bail,” he said.

The CPM leader also accused the NIA of conspiracy in the case.

“This is the government of extensions. NIA chief’s tenure was extended and retired officers from Gujarat were summoned to resume duty. There is surely some conspiracy behind this,” Yechury said.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh charged the BJP government with trying to protect all the accused connected with the RSS. “Col Purohit gets bail. It was expected as the present BJP Govt is protecting all the accused connected with RSS in all Bomb Blast cases,” he tweeted.

The Congress also raised the issue of NIA chief Sharad Kumar getting two extensions and hoped that justice would be done in the Malegaon serial blasts case without fear or favour.

His colleagues Randeep Singh Surjewala and Manish Tewari said Purohit getting bail was neither a reflection of his guilt nor innocence as he was facing a trial.

However, Union minister Kiren Rijiju refuted the charges, saying whoever deserved justice would get it. “What is the conspiracy about it? The Congress has the habit of raising this issue. Why should we intervene? This is a process (that was) started a long time back and it’s a process of the judiciary,” he said.