27 June,2016 08:27 AM IST | | Sailee Dhayalkar
The campaign, called ‘The Innocence Network,’ will be launched on the 10th anniversary of the blasts
Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt has lent his support to a campaign being launched by the families of the 12 convicts in the 11/7 serial train blasts.
Mahesh Bhatt. Pic/Shadab Khan
The campaign aims to save innocent Muslims in terror cases and will be launched on the 10th anniversary of the blast this year.
Speaking to mid-day, Mahesh Bhatt said, "As a concerned Indian, I totally support any crusade for the right of an individual that looks upon his innocence until proven [guilty] by the highest court, beyond reasonable doubt."
Abdul Wahid Shaikh, an acquitted accused, said, "Mahesh Bhatt has shown interest in supporting our campaign." The campaign will be named as the âThe Innocence Network.'
A Special MCOCA court in September 2015 granted death sentence to five accused for planting bombs in the city's local trains in 2006, which killed 189 people. Seven others were given the life sentence.
'Fake evidence'
However, their families feel they have been wrongly implicated. "Our agenda is to reach all over India to show that the convicts in 11/7 blast case have been falsely implicated and the evidence against them is fake. The campaign will run along with the appeal at High Court. It will be launched on the 10th anniversary of the blast. We have spoken to a few people, including director Mahesh Bhatt, some judges and advocates who have shown interest in supporting our campaign," Khalid Ansari, brother of life convict Sajid Ansari and a convenor of the campaign, told mid-day.
"We are planning to take this campaign ahead through Facebook and WhatsApp. We want to reach out to every individual. We are also planning to put up posters of our campaign across the city," Ansari added. The campaign will go on till the convicts are released.
