Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said “terrorism was never saffron and will never be”.

He was reacting to the verdict of a special NIA court in Mumbai which acquitted all the seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit, in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

An explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in the town, located about 200 km from Mumbai, on September 29, 2008 killing six persons and injuring 101 others.

The special court on acquitted all the seven accused in the case, noting there was “no reliable and cogent evidence” against them.

“Terrorism was never saffron, is not and will never be,” Mr Fadnavis posted on X.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde refused to comment on the verdict.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde said his party welcomes the NIA court judgement acquitting all the seven accused, including Pragya Thakur and Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit.

“We are very happy with the order. It was the sinister design of the Congress party which trapped them and also coined the word ‘Hindu terror’ to fulfill their agenda. They have been exposed,” Mr Hegde claimed.

Mr Hegde said Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Parliament that no Hindu can be a terrorist and it has been proved right.

Maharashtra Water Resources Minister and BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil hailed the verdict and said Hindutva was labelled as “terrorist” and sentiments were hurt.

There was an attempt to hurt spiritualism, he claimed.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)