By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Muslim community leaders belonging to different non-governmental organizations have unanimously praised special public prosecutor Rohini Salian for her courageous disclosure that since new government has took over in the centre she has been asked to go ‘soft’ in the trial proceedings of Malegaon 2008 blasts blamed on the Hindu extremists.
On Thursday English daily Indian Express published interview excerpts with Advocate Salian in which she alleged that National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer called her at home and told her to go ‘soft’ in the trial proceedings as advised by the higher ups.
Advocate Rohini Salian (Courtesy: Dnaindia)“An NIA officer approached me immediately after the change of government and told me in person to go soft. On June 12, he approached me for the second time and said I would no longer be appearing in the case,” Salian reiterated on Thursday before the media persons in the Mumbai sessions court.
However, NIA has today denied allegations made by Salian and said that no “inappropriate” instructions were passed to her through any of its officers.
“NIA completely denies the issuance of inappropriate briefing by any officer of the agency to the special PP or creating impediments in her prosecution work of NIA cases she has been handling,” says NIA statement.
The Malegaon 2008 blasts case was the first of its kind in which Hindutva extremists were accused of orchestrating bomb blasts after slain ATS officer Hemant Karkare arrested Lt. Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, sadhvi Pragnya Singh Thakur and others in October 2008.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other Hindu organizations had then objected to the investigation and had termed the arresting of Hindu accused as a political diversion by the Congress led government. Many BJP leaders including Uma Bharti and LK Advani were reported to have met Pragya Thakur while she was hospitalized in the government hospital.
Meanwhile, the leaders from Muslim community have lauded Salian for her daring to go public with her allegations against new NDA regime.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (Maharashtra) legal cell secretary Gulzar Azmi issued a PR under the title “Salute to candidness of PP Rohini Salian” and said, “We appreciate Salian for her courage to tell public that she was pressurized by the government in the Hindu extremists case. We have been defending Muslim youths falsely implicated by police and our stand was vindicated when Karkare had arrested these accused in Malegaon 2008 blast case but after the regime change new government is trying to shield these accused. It is not good for the interest of the nation”.
He also said, “Salian’s objection shows that the conscience of just and secular brethren is still alive and we congratulate them”.
Demanding CBI probe in the matter, MA Khalid, General Secretary of All India Milli Council said, “There appears clear thoughtful planning behind removing Salian from the case as she was becoming hurdle for the release of the accused. It shows Modi government is wishing to secure release of Hindu extremists. There is a strong need of conducting CBI probe in the matter to know who the higher ups are in the government that is pressurizing PP”.
Social activist Firoz Mithiborwala sees this to be an attempt similar to that of Pakistan that tries to shield militants at its territory. He says, “It is alarming for the whole nation as what has been revealed by Salian resembles Pakistan government’s approach in handling militancy. This has unveiled Modi’s face that he is on the way of making India a Hindu Rashtra as per directions from RSS”.
Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi, General Secretary of All India Ulema Council condemned government’s pressurizing Salian to go soft in the case, and said, “The new government is playing with the laws and Constitution of the country. How can it advice PP to go slow in the case? All offenders should be same to the government irrespective of their affiliation to any organization or religion. Government should instead ban such terrorist organization than trying to shield such accused”.
Liaqat Khan of Maharashtra Action Committee termed the whole episode as another communal example set forth by the BJP government where it is trying to implement its Hindutva agenda.
“Government’s direction to Salian to go soft explains that it is desperate to release Hindu extremists. Definition of offence should not change for the government if the accused is Hindu. Minority community is already under threat since the new government came to power and such revelation will instill more insecurity amongst them”.