"Case Ruined My Life": What Pragya Thakur Told Judge After Malegaon Verdict

Mumbai:

Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur was today acquitted of all charges in the 2008 Malegaon blast case after a Mumbai court said there is no evidence to establish that the bike, allegedly used in the blast that claimed six lives, belonged to her.

The judge noted that while the prosecution had proved that the blast happened, it had failed to establish that the explosive was fitted on the LML Freedom motorcycle allegedly belonging to Ms Thakur.

"The motorbike's chassis number was wiped out and engine number is in doubt. There is no evidence to show Sadhvi (Pragya Thakur) is the owner and no evidence to show she was in possession of the vehicle," the judge said, acquitting her after what has been one of the longest terror trials in the country.

Today's verdict caps a 17-year journey that saw Pragya Thakur, daughter of an Ayurvedic practitioner in Madhya Pradesh, make national headlines after being accused of plotting terror attacks to avenge earlier terror strikes such as the 2006 Mumbai train blasts. Then in her late 30s, Ms Thakur was called the face of "Hindu terror", a term that gained currency after the 2008 blasts in Malegaon. She was accused of arranging manpower for the blast, while her co-accused, former Army officer Prasad Purohit, provided the explosives. Both were acquitted today, along with five others.

When the verdict was declared, Ms Thakur and the others were in court. Addressing the judge, she said, "I said this from the very beginning that if people are called for investigation, there should be a basis behind that. I was called, arrested and tortured. This ruined my whole life. I was living a sage's life, but I was made an accused, and no one was willing to stand beside us. I am alive because I am a Sanyasi. They defamed bhagwa (saffron) through a conspiracy. Today, bhagwa has won, and Hindutva has won, and God will punish those who are guilty," she said.

Responding to the verdict, Pragya Thakur's sister Upma Singh told NDTV that they had full faith in the justice system. "She said from the beginning that she was innocent."

The Bike And The Blast

The prosecution had contended that the September 29, 2008, blasts were caused by explosives fitted on a bike. During the investigation by the Mumbai Anti-Terror Squad, the LML Freedom bike's registration number was found to be bogus. The chassis and engine numbers had been erased. The parts of the motorcycle recovered from the blast site were sent for forensic tests. The tests, the investigators said, had restored the engine number and the bike was found to be registered under the name of Ms Thakur. She was arrested on October 23, 2008.

Allegations Of Torture

Pragya Thakur has repeatedly alleged that she was tortured after police took her into custody in the blasts case. In fact, the National Human Rights Commission ordered an inquiry into her allegations in 2014, but found no evidence to support her claim. Ms Thakur had sparked a massive row in 2019 when she said Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who died fighting terrorists in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, lost his life because she had "cursed" him.

"The investigation team called Hemant Karkare and said that if you do not have evidence, let her go. He said, I will do anything to get evidence against her. I won't let her go. This was his hatred. You won't believe, I said, 'tera sarvanash hoga'. Just after a month, terrorists killed him," she had said. Following a backlash, she said she "takes her words back" and called Mr Karkare a "martyr".

2019 Election, And 5 Years Of Controversies

In a choice that raised a political storm, the BJP fielded Pragya Thakur in the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Bhopal. She won comfortably, defeating Congress heavyweight Digvijaya Singh by a huge margin. Shortly after her election, though, the firebrand leader courted controversy when she called Nathuram Godse, the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, a "patriot". Prime Minister Modi had later said he would never forgive those who insult Bapu. During her term, Ms Thakur kept making news for the wrong reasons, sometimes for her provocative remarks and at other times, for visuals of dancing and playing despite enjoying bail relief on medical grounds.