Mumbai, Maharashtra (August 2, 2025): Shiv Sena workers staged a protest outside the Congress office in Mumbai on Saturday, criticising senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan for his recent remarks on the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.
The protest was held in response to Chavan's comments following the acquittal of all seven accused in the case by a special National Investigation Agency court. The court ruled that there was “no reliable and cogent evidence” against the accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit. The Malegaon blast took place on September 29, 2008, near a mosque in Malegaon. The explosion killed six people and injured 101 others. The final verdict came nearly 17 years after the incident.
After the court’s decision, Chavan asked not to use the term “saffron terrorism.” He said, "Don’t use the term 'Saffron terrorism'. If you want to describe such acts, use 'Hindu fundamentalist' or 'Hindu terrorism' instead," he said as quoted by PTI. His statement sparked sharp criticism from BJP allies and right-wing groups. Shiv Sena, a coalition partner in the Maharashtra government, led the protest and demanded an apology.
Chavan also responded to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that “no Hindu can ever be a terrorist.”
In a statement to PTI, Chavan said, “, "I want to remind Amit Shah that the first terrorist incident in independent India was carried out by Nathuram Godse. Which religion did he belong to? Terrorism has no religion. This is the BJP's mindset to connect terrorism with religion,"
(With inputs from agencies)