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Malegaon:
Thousands of people in the textile town February 01 came out
strongly against, what the organizers term as, the 'inept'
attitude of the Maharashtra government, which fails to take a firm
stand on the fate of the Muslim youths arrested in 2006 Malegaon
blast even after the confession of the right wing Hindu terrorist
groups.
In a no-holds-barred attack on the
Cong-NCP alliance government in Maharashtra, the speakers coming
after one another questioned the government's sincerity and its
claim to uphold justice in the state.
"We demanded a fair probe in the
case ever since the 2006 Malegaon blast and after the arrests of
the Muslim youths in the case. You did not do it. And, now after
the confessions of Swami Aseemanand, everything has come out in
black and white. Yet you are keeping the innocents behind bar",
President of Samajwadi Party's Maharashtra unit and State
Legislative Member Abu Asim Azmi said while addressing the rally.
"You are doing grave injustice to
these youths who are lingering in jail since last four years. For
vote-bank politics, you do not even realise what harm you are
doing to these innocents and their poor families", he said.
"We demand immediate bail for these
youths. Our demand is not a favour, it is our right as you
have taken oath of upholding justice, equality and integrity", he
said.
Taking forward the assertions his
party president made during the rally, SP MLA from Bhiwandi
Rasheed Tahir Momin questioned the integrity of the state
government.
"The state government is not
at all serious on the issue. The response of the state government
after Swami Aseemanand's confession is an indication that it is
controlled by RSS and Sangh Parivar", Momin said while addressing
the rally.
"I have been in Congress earlier and
I know it for sure that these people have infiltrated everywhere
including the Congress and NCP", he added.
Thousands of people coming from
different parts of Malegaon sat throughout the rally, which was
called by Samajwadi Party and supported by a dozen other political
parties and organisations.
It was called to demand justice for
the Muslim youths arrested in the 2006 Malegaon blast case in the
wake of the confession made by Swami Aseemanand, an accused
associated with the Hindu terror groups.
Others who addressed the rally
include former minister and senior leader Nihal Ahmed, Kul Jamaati
Tanzeem leader Maulana Hameed Azhari, President of Jamaat-e-Islami
Firoz Azmi and President of the ruling Teesra Mhaz Maulana Ayyub
Qasmi.
The rally decided to intensify their protest
after February 07 and vowed to fight till the Muslim youths are
released.
A series of blasts struck
Malegaon on September 08 in 2006 ahead of Shab-e-Barat, a
Muslim festival when thousands of people were busy offering Friday
prayers at the Hamidia Masjid. Another blast occurred at nearby
Mushawerat chowk few minutes later. 32 people had been killed and
more than 300 were injured in the blasts, most of them being
children.
Investigating agencies blamed the
Muslim youths for the terror attack and arrested nine youths from
Malegaon and neighboring places. The case, however, took a
surprising turn when Aseemanand confessed in front of the
magistrate about his role in the blast.
Following the confession, the
accused moved to the court for bail. But, on January 28, during
the hearing on their bail application, Central Bureaue of
Investigation (CBI) reportedly opposed the bail. The court asked
for the certified copy of Aseemanand's statement by February 07.
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