Malegaon blast case 2008: 'Congress can go to any extent to defame Hindus, Yogi Adityanath'

Slamming the Congress over the Malegaon case, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra on Wednesday said the century-old party has a hatred for Hindus and is trying to bring separatism in the country.

Witness turns hostile

The BJP spokespersons remarks came a day after a witness of 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case turned hostile on Tuesday and told the court that Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) had forced him to falsely take Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and five RSS members' names in the case. Breifing mediapersons, Patra said, "There is no doubt that they hatched a conspiracy to make witnesses tell lies by intimidating them. Congress is involved in insulting Hindus from the beginning. With the revelation of the Malegaon case, we can understand what kind of hatred must have been in the mind of the Congress party leaders towards Hindus. It is a big conspiracy."

"Congress can go to any extent to defame Hindus, saints and even the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi had said that 'bhagwa atankwad' (saffron terrorism) is more dangerous. Rahul Gandhi speaks on Hinduism and Hindutva every day. They are trying to bring this separatism," added the BJP leader. On Tuesday, one more witness turned hostile in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case. This is the 15th witness to turn hostile in the case.

Tortured by ATS after the blast: Witness

The witness told Mumbai's special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court that he was tortured by ATS, the then investigating agency of the case. The witness told the court that he was kept in Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) office for seven days after the blast and after that, ATS threatened to torture and frame his family members. The witness told the court today that ATS forced him to falsely take Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and five RSS members' names. The case is currently being investigated by NIA. Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.

(With ANI inputs)