Owaisi Reacts To Mecca Masjid Verdict

Reacting to the acquittal of all the five accused in Makkah Masjid blast, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said justice had not been done and that the ruling will weaken the fight against terrorism.

Reacting to the judgement of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court, Owaisi said it was a biased investigation and NIA was not allowed to pursue the case by its political masters.

In a series of tweets, Owaisi said the NIA and Modi-led government did not even appeal against the bail given to the accused within 90 days.

"Witnesses turned hostile after June 2014. They could not give proper statements, so everything was done to fail the victims upshot. Our fight against terrorism is weakened after today's acquittals," he said.

The special court on Monday acquitted right-wing Hindu group members in the 2007 blast case. It held that the prosecution failed to provide evidence against the accused.

Nine people were killed and 58 others were injured when the explosion ripped through the mosque during Friday prayers on May 18, 2007. Two live IEDs were also recovered by police and defused. Later, five more people were killed in subsequent police firing on the crowd outside the mosque.

Immediately after the blast, police had blamed Harkatul Jihad Islami and rounded up about 100 youth from different parts of the city. Several were arrested and jailed. The CBI later revealed that the blast was the handiwork of right-wing Hindu group.

IANS