'Saffron terror' narrative fails amid political setbacks

Congress efforts to link RSS with terror collapse under legal scrutiny and facts.

- ALOK MEHTA

Controversies over allegations of “saffron terror” and criminal activities linked to the Rashtriya ‘Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have repeatedly surfaced on political and social platforms.

Over the past 50 years, the Congress and Communist parties have made several attempts to ban or restrict the functioning of the RSS. The 2008 Malegaon blast case was projected as an instance of “saffron terror,” with serious charges levelled against several individuals, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Colonel Purohit, and others. A conspiracy was allegedly hatched to falsely implicate RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Mahboob Mujawar, an ATS officer involved in the investigation, revealed that he was pressured to link the RSS chief's name and coerce witnesses into testifying against him. When he refused, he was harassed. Based on court proceedings and the evidence presented, it became clear that many of the allegations were either false or weak. Sadhvi Pragya was granted bail earlier, and the court has now ruled that there is insufficient evidence against her. Despite more than 300 witnesses, no solid proof emerged. This episode demonstrated that individuals were deliberately targeted for political or ideological reasons, in an attempt to tarnish the image of the RSS and its affiliate organisations.