UP withdraws case against Gorakhpur blast accused

Lucknow, April 24 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government Wednesday withdrew the case aggainst Tariq Qasmi, prime accused in the Gorakhpur bomb blasts of May 22, 2007 which left six people, including a woman, injured.

The move followed a recommendation from the district administration to the state home department that the case against Qasmi, resident of Azamgarh, be withdrawn.

Following this, the home department late Wednesday issued orders for the withdrawing the cases against the accused.

Qasmi was picked up by the Special Task Force (STF) after he was found to be in touch with HuJi activists. This is the first case of terror charges being withdrawn against any one since the Akhilesh Yadav government was sworn in last year.

The Samajwadi Party (SP), from time to time, has been assuring the minority community that "false charges" slapped on "innocent Muslims" would be withdrawn.

Home Secretary Sarvesh Mishra said the district magistrate of Gorakhpur has been directed to file an affidavit in the concerned court, informing it of the government decision.

All India Sunni Board president Mohammad Mushtaq welcomed the decision and lauded the SP government for beginning to fulfill its promise.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) however lashed out at the SP government over the development and slammed it for "dangerously playing with national security for minority vote gains."

"This is a clear and sad example of how the SP government has decided to shake hands with terrorists to get the votes of minorities" Vijay Bahadur Pathak, spokesman of the BJP, told IANS.