Release Malegaon blasts accused, demands Abu Azmi

Coming out in support of the nine accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi today demanded that they should be discharged.

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.

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"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.