Malegaon blast probe "dramatic act created by Congress": Rijiju

Panaji, May 27: Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju today termed the earlier investigation in the 2008 Malegaon blast case as a "dramatic kind of act created by the Congress" and a "game plan to create communal divide".

"It was dramatic kind of act created by the Congress party. We would not like to interfere in the investigation," Rijiju said while speaking to reporters here.

He was replying to a question about the clean chit given by the National Investigation Agency to Sadhvi Pragya Thakur in the case. The Supreme Court had told the NIA that its duty is not only to prosecute the case but also to bring the correct facts before the people, said the Minister. "That is what exactly NIA has done.

They have brought the facts before the people of India," he said. "This (earlier probe) is a complete Congress game plan to create communal divide in the country," Rijiju said.

In a U-turn from the earlier case of the prosecution, the NIA on May 13 dropped all charges against Thakur and five others in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, while charges under the stringent MCOCA were dropped against the other ten accused, including Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

Seven people were killed in the September 29, 2008 blast at Malegaon, a town in north Maharashtra.

PTI