Mumbai: Coming out in support of the nine
accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts, Samajwadi Party leader
Abu Azmi on Wednesday demanded that they should be discharged.
"National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its report, has
said that these nine people are innocent," Azmi said.
"Even a Muslim priest who lived in Akola, 550 km away
from Malegaon, was arrested on the charge that he planted the
RDX device on the bicycle.
"Government should release them and should apologise, as
the Australian Government did in the case of Dr Hanif," he
said, demanding that the accused be also compensated for
wrongful imprisonment.
Muhamed Haneef, an Indian doctor accused of aiding terror
activities by the Australian authorities, was later found to
be innocent.
Over 30 people were killed in blasts in Malegaon on
September 8, 2006.
Azmi also alleged that no action was being taken against
right-wing organisations like RSS, Vande Mataram and Jan
Kalyan Samiti.
The Maharashtra government was following "agendas of RSS
and Shiv Sena", Azmi alleged.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 21:34