'Would you worship Bhagwa terrorist?': Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand says 'don't link terrorism with colour'; questions failure to find Malegaon blast culprits
NEW DELHI: The debate over the use of the term 'Saffron Terror', that resumed after the July 31 verdict in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has refused to die down. Commenting on the term, Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj said that colour should not be linked with terrorism.
He said those who associate a colour with terrorism are supporting terrorism.
The Shankaracharya said, "A terrorist is a terrorist...What does colour mean with the word terrorism? Terrorism is terrorism, and a zero-tolerance policy should be adopted against it... The Malegaon blast happened, but you could not find the person who committed it...Those who look for colours in terrorism are supporters of terrorism."
The term 'Bhagwa Aatank' or 'saffron terrorism' was first used after the 2002 Gujarat riots, as per a report by the news agency ANI. It was later used again after the 2008 Malegaon blasts. Some political leaders and parties used the term in their statements. The term was also mentioned by then home minister P Chidambaram in an official meeting with police officials. Congress leader Digvijay Singh also used the term in reference to the blasts.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
No annual fees for life
UnionBank Credit Card
Apply Now
Undo
The Hindu pontiff also raised questions as to why the government is still unable to catch the culprits of the Malegaon blast case. "We do not wish to comment on the court's proceedings; whatever was done in court, we believe, must have been correct. If these people were found innocent in the court's view, then it is right they were acquitted. But the bigger problem is that the blast did not happen on its own — someone must have done it.
Who was it? Where is the Government of India, the state government failing, that someone comes, carries out a blast, and leaves, and despite having vast resources and plenty of time, we are still unable to catch the culprit? This is a big slap on our capability that we cannot apprehend the guilty," he said.
On July 31, a special NIA court in Mumbai acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The court said that the prosecution could not prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The court also directed the Maharashtra government to pay Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the people who died in the blast, and Rs 50,000 to those who were injured.
The seven accused were former MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (also known as Shankaracharya), and Sameer Kulkarni.
"All bail bonds of the accused are cancelled and sureties are discharged," the court said.
The court examined 323 witnesses from the prosecution and eight from the defence before giving the verdict. All seven were acquitted of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act, and other related charges.
The blast occurred on September 29, 2008, near a mosque in Bhikku Chowk area of Malegaon. An explosive device placed on a motorcycle went off, killing six people and injuring 95 others.
Initially, 11 people were named as accused, but charges were framed against seven.
The lawyer representing the victims' families has said that he will challenge the acquittal in the high court.
Earlier, on the eve of the judgment in the Malegaon blast case, Union home minister Amit Shah had said in Parliament that no Hindu can ever be a terrorist. "I am proud to say, no Hindu can ever be a terrorist," Shah had said in Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, after the NIA court judgment, former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan also spoke on the matter last week and said that he does not support the use of the term "saffron terror." "Don't use the term 'Saffron terrorism'. If you want to describe such acts, use 'Hindu fundamentalist' or 'Hindu terrorism' instead."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Retired TCS employee duped of Rs 3 crore by share trading fraudsters
Mumbai: A 58-year-old retired TCS executive lodged a complaint after being duped of almost Rs 3 crore from cyber fraudsters in an online scam. Impersonating officials of a reputed share trading platform, the fraudsters lured him twice and duped him of Rs 2.6 crore. The victim, a resident of Navroz Bagh in Lalbaug, detailed how he was lured through deceptive advertisements on Facebook and tricked over a span of two months. According to the complaint, the victim, who dabbled in stock trading for the past five years, came across an advertisement for "Kuvera Finance" while browsing Facebook on June 10. On clicking the link, he was added to a WhatsApp group named "K21 - Kuvera Appha Club - Learn & Grow Your Wealth." The group was allegedly moderated by Rutuja Lad, who claimed to be a manager at Kuvera Finance, and Neelabh Sanyal, who posed as an investment advisor. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The fraudsters convinced the victim to open a "Kuvera Fast Trade Account" through a link they provided. Under their guidance, he began transferring funds into various bank accounts, which included names like Sweet and Salt, Yash Traders, Axiopay Infotech Pvt. Ltd, and Sahil Enterprises, among others. Over a period of weeks, he was duped into transferring Rs 56.2 lakh under the pretext of stock investments that were displayed as virtual profits on fake trading apps. In a parallel operation, the victim encountered another fraudulent scheme through a Facebook advertisement for UTI AMC. This led him to a WhatsApp group named "UTI Capital Storm," where individuals identified as Sanya Kapoor and Imtaiazur Rahman introduced themselves as managers of UTI Mutual Fund. They used similar tactics, guiding the victim to invest by sending funds to accounts under names like Prudent Services Ltd, A.K. Traders, Harish Kumar, Sri Kalai Enterprise, Brightview Technologies, Hasan Creation, and Prince Corporation. Between June 16 and July 29, the victim transferred an additional Rs 2 crore to these accounts. The fraudsters repeatedly showed inflated profits on virtual dashboards but refused to allow withdrawals, citing fabricated "processing fees." When the victim attempted to withdraw his investments on July 29, the accused demanded a 5% payment on the invested sum. Sensing foul play, the victim attempted to contact the accused, but they became unresponsive. Realising he was cheated, the victim immediately filed complaints with the 1930 Cyber Helpline, an FIR was lodged against Rutuja Lad, Neelabh Sanyal, Sanya Kapoor, and Imtaiazur Rahman—and lists multiple bank account holders used as conduits for the scam. These accounts spanned across several banks. The complainant has submitted screenshots of WhatsApp chats, payment details, and other evidence to assist in the investigation. Authorities suspect that the scam is part of a larger pan-India racket involving mule accounts and international operatives. A senior officer from the cyber cell said, "We are tracing the digital footprint of the accused and are in touch with the respective banks to freeze the accounts. Preliminary investigations indicate the involvement of a well-organised cyber syndicate."
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Donald Trump calls Taylor Swift 'no longer hot' while praising Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad
Taylor Swift Dragged into Sydney Sweeney Ad Drama as Trump Says She's Not 'Hot' Anymore. (Image-X) You'd think a jeans commercial wouldn't be political warfare, but here we are. What started as a cheeky American Eagle campaign featuring Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney has spiraled into an unexpected culture war with Taylor Swift caught in the crossfire. The moment the words 'great jeans' turned into a thinly veiled pun about genetics, the internet exploded. And then came Donald Trump , calling Sweeney 'hot,' dragging Taylor as 'no longer hot,' and turning what should've been a harmless denim moment into a full-on GOP-vs-Swift spectacle. Trump calls Sydney Sweeney 'hot' and Taylor Swift 'no longer hot' for the American Eagle ad drama American Eagle's new campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney was all about wordplay: 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,' with the word genes crossed out in classic handwritten rebel font. But what was meant to be flirty and fun got dragged on social media for echoing eugenic undertones. Critics online pointed out how the ad seemed to elevate a very specific standard of beauty, white, blonde, blue-eyed and combined with genetics talk, things got uncomfortable real fast. Then Donald Trump got involved, and chaos officially began. After finding out Sydney is a registered Republican, Trump went straight to Truth Social and posted: 'Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there. It's for American Eagle, and the jeans are flying off the shelves. Go get 'em Sydney!' He followed it up with, 'Being WOKE is for losers. Being Republican is what you want to be.' He even took the opportunity to bash Jaguar or any company that doesn't align with his vibe. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bo Derek's Probably The Most Gorgeous 68-Year-Old. Paperela Undo But the most unexpected moment? Trump deciding to take a swipe at Taylor Swift out of nowhere. Trump randomly veered into pop star territory, taking a direct shot at Swift's popularity. He said: 'She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became NO LONGER HOT .' Cue the record scratch. The attack felt wildly out of place, especially since Taylor had nothing to do with the jeans ad but that didn't stop Trump from making it political. With Swift being vocal about progressive causes and her support for Biden, it's clear she's the go-to 'woke celeb' target for conservative outrage. So when Sweeney got the Republican stamp of approval, Swift naturally got the backhanded burn. This isn't the first time Trump's taken jabs at Taylor, but calling her 'no longer hot' while praising Sweeney as the new conservative darling? That's petty on a whole new level. American Eagle's stock soared nearly 24%, because of course controversy sells. Right-wing pundits like Megyn Kelly and Ted Cruz jumped in to praise Sweeney's 'anti-woke energy,' while left-leaning critics continued dragging the brand for 'objectifying' women and playing with dangerous cultural symbolism. Also read - Nicki Minaj and Dez Bryant's viral beef explained: $10 million fight offers, Roc Nation fallout, and social media chaos For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Seer forced to quit Chamarajanagar mutt over Muslim roots
Mysuru: A 22-year-old seer was forced to quit a mutt at Gundlupet taluka in Chamarajanagar district on Sunday after a section of villagers objected to his role, citing his religious status as a Muslim prior to taking Basava Deeksha. Nijalinga Swamiji, 22, had taken 'deeksha' five years ago and was named Nijalinga Swamiji. He had joined the year-old mutt as its new seer a-month-and-a-half ago. However, he was forced to quit after his status as a Muslim before taking Basava Deeksha came to light, with some devotees alleging that he had not informed them about his religion by birth during anointment. The seer in question, though, told TOI everyone knew about his pre- 'deeksha' religion as he never hid it. Chamarajanagar SP BT Kavita said no police complaint was registered in connection with the incident. The Swamiji, who hails from Kalaburagi district, is an ardent follower of 'vachanas' and 'sharanas'. After taking 'deeksha', he was involved in the propagation of 'vachanas' across the state. "One of the devotees at the mutt approached my guru to send a seer to the mutt, and in keeping with the Guru's wish, I joined. I was involved in spreading 'vachana's in the villages," the Swamiji said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More He further told TOI: "Recently, a boy came across my Aadhaar Card details, where my pre-Basava Deeksha name was mentioned. He informed the villagers about it and a section of villagers forced me to quit the mutt." "An ardent follower of Basavanna's principles, I was hurt by the incident as I took 'deeksha' to spread the 'vachana's that preach brotherhood. I am totally cut off from my pre- 'deeksha' religion," the Swamiji said, adding: "I was forced to quit the mutt on the ground that I didn't disclose my pre-Basava Deeksha religion, but everyone knows about my pre-Basava Deeksha religion. I never hid it."
