Following the conviction of 38 people in the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts case, the Bharatiya Janata Party (Gujurat)’s official Twitter handle shared a caricature depicting the death sentence awarded to the accused, who were all Muslims, in this case.
The BJP Gujarat’s official Twitter and Instagram handle shared the image of men in skull caps and long beards like that of Muslim men with ropes around their necks, indicating a death sentence to the perpetrators. The party also put up a caption in Gujurati that said “Satyamev Jayate. No apology to the perpetrator of terror”.
While the terror attacks have received widespread condemnation, the caricature has drawn criticism for likening a typical Muslim image and portraying all Muslims as terror perpetrators.
38 of the 49 people were sentenced to death. However, 11 were handed life imprisonment on Friday following which the party shared the image on its social media pages.
This is the first case in the country where 38 convicts have been simultaneously sentenced to death, after 26 were sentenced in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
Twitter users have accused the BJP of attempting to polarise voters in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.