Hindu seers stage protest in New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 26 : Hindu seers led by senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia staged a silent protest in New Delhi on Wednesday, to show solidarity with Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, one of the accused in the Malegoan blasts case.

Earlier this month, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Maharashtra detained Thakur, Dayanand Pandey and Lietenant Colonel Purohit, all belonging to Hindu community, in connection with the Malegaon blasts case.

Togadia described the Malegaon probe as a conspiracy by the government to protect the extremists.

"Malegaon is a conspiracy to protect the extremists. We believe the saints and the army officials who have been arrested are innocent. They have been tortured to adhere to the version of the ATS. For this the ATS officials should be arrested," said Togadia.

Last week there were speculations about Togadia's involvement in the Malegaon Blasts. But, the Mumbai ATS and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cleared him off the allegations.

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has openly showed its disapproval with the Malegaon blasts probe.

Five people were killed in the blasts that hit the Muslim-dominated Malegaon town in Maharashtra, and Modasa town in Gujarat, within minutes of each other on September 29.

For years, bomb attacks in India have mostly been blamed on Islamist militants. Even attacks on mosques were often blamed on Islamists seeking to spark communal tension between India's majority Hindus and minority Muslims.

Muslim leaders have accused authorities of conducting a witch hunt and reinforcing stereotypes about their community after dozens of Muslims were detained following a string of bomb attacks across the country this year.