“A win for bhagwa…God will punish those who are guilty,” said former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur; In 2010 the then Home Minister, Congress’ P. Chidambaram, had cautioned police officials about “saffron terror”, a remark that was met with severe backlash from BJP and Hindu religious groups
A special court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all the seven accused in the Malegaon 2008 blast case. They included former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
The seven accused were arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) around 17 years back One of them was released from prison on bail in 2011, the other six remained behind bars for another eight years before getting bail in 2017.
Others who faced trial in the case for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code included Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni.
Pragya was seen with tears in her eyes as she recalled her long years of struggle and humiliation. She said she was branded as tainted when she was not guilty, she was crying, according to those present in the court
“I said this from the very beginning that those who are called for investigation there should be a basis behind that. I was called by them for investigation and was arrested and tortured. This ruined my whole life. I was living a sage’s life, but I was made and accused, and no one was willingly standing beside us. I am alive because I am a Sanyasi. They defamed Bhagwa through a conspiracy. Today, Bhagwa has won, and Hindutva has won, and God will punish those who are guilty. However, those who defamed India and Bhagwa have not been proved wrong by you…” agencies quoted her as saying.
The case
The blast, which ripped through Malegaon town in Nashik district on September 29, 2008, left six dead and over 100 injured. It occurred near Bhikku Chowk in the communally tense town during the month of Ramzan.
Judge A K Lahoti, who presided over the case assigned to the NIA, said the prosecution failed to prove the allegations in the case and that all seven accused deserve the benefit of doubt.
The prosecution could not prove that the motorcycle used in the blast belonged to Pragya Thakur, he said, adding that the engine number was unclear, and the chassis number had been wiped out.
There was no cogent or reliable evidence to prove that Pragya owned the vehicle, he said
The court also further observed that she had become a sanyasi (renunciant) two years before the blast and had distanced herself from material possessions, according to reports.
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.is former BJP MP from Bhopal.
Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit was then serving officer in Military Intelligence
The accused faced charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity, and voluntarily causing hurt.
What Chidambaram said
In 2010 the then Home Minister, Congress’ P. Chidambaram, had cautioned police officials about “saffron terror” , a remark that were met with severe backlash from BJP and Hindu religious groups.
Chidambaram cautioned the chiefs of State police forces, security and intelligence officials against continuing attempts to infiltrate militants into India as well as the recently uncovered phenomenon of “saffron terrorism”.
“There is no let up in the attempts to radicalise young men and women in India. Besides, there is the recently uncovered phenomenon of saffron terrorism that has been implicated in many bomb blasts of the past. My advice to you is that we must remain ever vigilant and continue to build, at the Central and State levels, our capacity in counter-terrorism,” he had told top police and security officers.
