Still, it took nearly a decade, before they could be finally acquitted and released.
In ten years, these youths were tortured and suffered immensely. Their families were affected, the careers and lives were ruined.
The latest Hindustan Times report by Harinder Baweja and Farhan Shaikh, titled, 'How Malegaon's innocents lost 10 years of their lives', once again brings to fore the horrific tragedy, the custodial tortures these youths suffered.
Is that how a democratic nation treats its citizens? If the police can't find the perpetrators or certain officials want to save the real terrorists, they catch innocent Muslims, and frame them as terrorists.
The then officers of ATS who were involved in this frame-up haven't faced any inquiry or action, as yet. Had it not been a sensitive officer like Hemant Karkare, who later took upon the task to investigate the case and painstakingly tracked the gang involved in the act, these youths won't have been released today.
Congress' role disgraceful: Innocent Muslims arrested, languished in jail in Congress regimes
In fact, it is the role of Congress that is truly pathetic. Congress was in power at the Centre during this entire period. All agencies were functioning under it. UPA was not just at the helm in Delhi but also in the State.
In Maharashtra, Congress was continuously in power. But agencies continued to work on the 'agenda' to frame Muslim youths. How could it happen? Isn't Congress responsible.
Its leaders didn't insist on any audit of investigative agencies and minorities were kept out of IB-RAW. Also, Congress' leaders remained sympathetic to the Hindutva case.
Clearly, it is Congress--the self-styled secular party, that is responsible for the plight of innumerable Muslim youths languishing in jails in India. Still, it doesn't seem that the party has learnt anything. In the few states where it is in power, it still seems impotent to act against mischief-makers.