TNN

Mumbai, Oct 28: The Shiv Sena on Tuesday alleged that Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, arrested in connection with the September 29 Malegaon blasts, was a victim of the "race to claim credit (for cracking the case) among the police force."

"Police never get their hands on the real masterminds of blasts....They just pick up people at random and parade them before the media and congratulate themselves. This leads to a race to grab credit (for cracking cases)," the party alleged in an editorial in its mouthpiece, Saamana.

"Pragya Singh is a victim of this race to claim credit," the editorial charged.

It further said that in today's atmosphere of insecurity, Muslim fundamentalists are to blame if at all a Hindu takes to terrorism.

"If a Hindu organisation is taking on useless secularism, the Anti-Terrorist Squad must not brand it as a terrorist outfit," it said.

The editorial also condemned the attack by NCP workers on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad office in Nashik in the wake of of the sadhvi's arrest. "Just because NCP controls the home ministry (in the state), we hope they have not got a license to do what they want," it said.

"Why did they ever not attack SIMI offices? NCP member advocate Majid Memon defended the 1993 blasts' accused. Has anybody ever touched him?" it asked.

"Those who put Sadhvi Pragya Singh behind bars and those who attacked the VHP office in Nashik belong to the same club," the editorial accused.