Nagpur: ‘Zinda Shaheed’ as he is known popularly, the president of All India Anti-Terrorism Front (AIATF) and former Youth Congress Chief Maninderjeet Singh Bitta on February 11 came down heavily on those elements trying to drag the name of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat and his senior colleague Indresh Kumar in the terrorist attack on Samjhauta Express train. “It was wrong to try to implicate them in such cases. They are sterling patriots and this is known all over the world”, he said showering praise on RSS leaders.
Interacting with the mediapersons at Tilak Patrakar Bhavan here in ‘Meet the Press’ programme, Bitta lamented such trivial accusations hampered ‘our genuine fight against terrorism’. Bitta launched a straight attack on the Congress leadership for ‘going soft on terror’.
Strongly pleading for a speedy trial of terrorists Bitta advocated for setting up a special anti-terrorist military court to facilitate stern action against the terrorist elements. Lashing out at undue mercy and leniency being shown to the relatives of such terrorists by the Government and political leaders, he also summarily rejected the practice of hearing the mercy pleas of such terrorists by the President and Home Ministry.
—Virag Pachpore
