“Hindus Can Never Be Terrorists”: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Welcomes Malegaon Blast Verdict

Guwahati: Reacting strongly to the acquittal of all accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the verdict was not just a legal outcome, but a “moral victory” for the Hindu community and Indian civilisation as a whole.

Addressing media persons, Sarma echoed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s earlier remarks in Parliament, stating, “Hindus, by philosophy, cannot be terrorists because our culture and civilisation never encourage terrorism.”

He said the term ‘Hindu terror’ was a political construct created during the Congress regime solely for vote bank appeasement. “A terminology was coined — ‘Hindu terror’ — just to please a particular community. But this idea was not just flawed; it was malicious and deeply insulting to our traditions.”

Sarma welcomed the Mumbai special NIA court’s decision to acquit all the accused in the Malegaon blast case — including BJP MP Pragya Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit — and said it had “demolished” the false narrative built over years.

“For me, this is a moment of immense satisfaction. What the Union Home Minister said in Parliament yesterday has been validated in court today. The concept of ‘Hindu terror’ has been destroyed,” he said.

Sarma emphasized that “Hindus and terror are two opposite concepts”, adding that those who linked the religion to violence did so with a deliberate communal agenda. “Hindus never believe in terror, and Hindus can never be terrorists. This is not just a belief; it is a cultural truth.”

The Malegaon blast occurred on September 29, 2008, when a bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded in the town of Malegaon, Maharashtra, killing six people and injuring over 100. Over the years, the case became politically and communally sensitive, with accusations directed at right-wing individuals, which led to the controversial usage of the term “saffron terror” or “Hindu terror.”