Malegaon blasts: Shankracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand says, "Don't link terrorism with colour"

Ever since the 2008 Malegaon blasts verdict on July 31, the debate around 'Saffron terror' has only intensified further. Sharing his views, recently Shankracaharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj said that 'color should not be linked with terrorism.' 

The Shankracharya highlighted that those who associate color with terrorism are, in a way, supporting terrorism. He said, "A terrorist is a terrorist. Would you support a Bhagwa terrorist? What does color mean with the word terrorism? Terrorism is terrorism, and a zero-tolerance policy should be adopted against it...The Malegaon blast happened, but you could not find the person who committed it. Those who look for colors in terrorism are supporters of terrorism." 

#WATCH | Mumbai: On "Saffron terror", Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj says, "A terrorist is a terrorist...What does colour mean with the word terrorism? Terrorism is terrorism, and a zero-tolerance policy should be adopted against it... The Malegaon… pic.twitter.com/0dQQWJ7B3a

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2025

According to news agency ANI, the term 'Saffron terrorism', or 'Bhagwa Aatank', was first used after the 2002 Gujarat riots. Later again, it was used after the 2008 Malegaon blasts, with the term reiterated by several political leaders and parties during that time. In an official meeting with police officials, the then Home Minister P Chidambaram also mentioned the term in his statements. While referring to the blasts, Senior Congress leader and then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay Singh, also used the term while referring to the Malegaon blasts. 

Swami Avimukteshwaranand also questioned why the Government couldn't catch the responsible culprits. He said, "We do not wish to comment on the court's proceedings; whatever was done in court, we believe must have been correct. If these people were found innocent in the court's view, then it is right that they were acquitted. But the bigger problem is that the blast did not happen on its own - someone must have done it. Who was it? Where is the Government of India, the state government failing, that someone comes, carries out the blast, and leaves, and despite having vast resources and plenty of time, we are still unable to catch the culprit? This is a big slap on our capability that we cannot apprehend the guilty." 

On the day of the judgement of the Malegaon blast case, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Parliament that "no Hindu can ever be a terrorist." Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah had said, "I am proud to say that no Hindu can ever be a terrorist." 

After the NIA court judgement, the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, while speaking about the matter last week, said that he does not support the use of the term "Saffron terror." He stated that, "Do not use the term Saffron terror, use 'Hindu fundamentalist' or 'Hindu terror' instead."