Congress hits back at govt., says terrorists have no religion

New Delhi: Congress leader Digvijay Singh today hit back at the BJP-led NDA Government over its assertion that the grand old party had an agenda in coining the term ‘saffron terror’, saying that it would be injustice and inappropriate to link the terrorists using the path of violence to get their demands fulfilled with any religion.

Singh said this is absolutely wrong, adding terrorism has no colour.

“Terrorism has no colour neither it is green nor saffron, nor do the terrorists have any religion neither they are Hindus or Muslims. A terrorist is a person possessing a mindset who uses the path of violence to get his demands fulfilled. Whether they (terrorists) are Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Christians, it would be injustice to link them with any religion,” he added.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju had earlier lashed out at the Congress over fresh developments in various terror probes.

“The terminology was given by that (Congress) party as it was working with an agenda,” he said.

The government’s assertion came a day after NIA chief Sharad Kumar gave a clean chit to accused Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit, who was chargesheeted in Malegaon 2008 terror case, in the 2007 Samjhauta blast case.

The NIA has filed a chargesheet against eight people in connection with Samjhauta blast case. The case pertains to the criminal conspiracy, which resulted in bomb blasts in the Attari Express (Samjhauta) train near Panipat, Haryana, on February 18, 2007.

The blast and the consequent fire in the train coaches resulted in the loss of 68 lives and injuries to 12 train passengers, including women and children.

The other case, in which Lieutenant Colonel Purohit is an accused, pertains to bombing in Malegaon area of Maharashtra on September 29, 2008. A blast rocked the area in which four persons were killed while several others injured.

The probe was initially conducted by the Maharashtra ATS and later handed over to the NIA. (ANI)