Malegaon blast case ruined her life, Pragya Thakur tells court
Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur, Lt Col Purohit, and others acquitted by NIA court in Mumbai, citing a lack of reliable evidence
Following the verdict of the Malegaon blast case, former BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, who was acquitted by a special NIA court in Mumbai in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, said on Thursday (July 31) that ‘bhagwa’ (saffron) was earlier defamed through a conspiracy, adding that today bhagwa and Hindutva have won.
Thakur, who broke down after being acquitted in the case, told the court, “Bhagwa and Hindutva have won”, and the real culprits in the blasts that killed six people and injured 95 others would be punished.
What Thakur told the court
“Bhagwa was defamed by them through a conspiracy. Today, bhagwa has won, and Hindutva has won, and those who are guilty will be punished by God. But those who defamed India and bhagwa have not been proved wrong by you. I thank you, sir (to Judge Abhay Lohati),” said Pragya as quoted by ANI.
Thakur further alleged that she was tortured during the investigation, adding that the only reason she was still alive was because she was a “sanyasi”. She said that the case ruined her life, adding that no one stood by her in the time of crisis.
Also Read: Malegaon blast verdict: Top 10 things NIA court said
‘I was tortured’
“I said 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 an accused, and no one willingly stood by us. I am alive because I am a sanyasi, I am living my life by dying every day,” added Thakur.
The court permitted her to sit in the witness box instead of the accused dock during the proceedings due to her ill health.
Upadhyay alleges mental torture
Expressing relief over being acquitted, another accused in the Malegaon blast case, Major (retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, accused the investigators of subjecting him to “physical, mental and financial” torture.
“We suffered all kinds of torture, including physical, mental and financial torture. We willingly gave narco tests, but that was not relied upon as it didn’t suit the prosecution’s case. I am happy that the court gave us relief. My wife and child were called the 'wife and child of a terrorist' but I am thankful that the stigma will now leave our lives,” said Upadhyay as quoted by ANI.
Also Read: Maharashtra: Judge conducting trial in 2008 Malegaon blast case transferred
Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit thanks Court
Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit, also acquitted, thanked the court for restoring public faith in the justice system. “I thank you for restoring the faith of the common man in the system again. In the life of a nation, individual lives don’t matter; it’s the nation which matters ultimately,” he said.
He also emphasised his continued loyalty to the nation and his organisation, stating he holds no grudge against investigative bodies but blamed individuals within them.
“I don’t blame any organisation for all this. Organisations like investigating agencies are not wrong, but people inside the organisations are the ones who have done wrong,” he added.
Court Orders Inquiry
The court ordered a high-level inquiry into the planting of explosives in the house of co-accused Sudhakar Chaturvedi. There was heavy security deployment outside the NIA court ahead of the verdict, with witnesses and onlookers present during the judgment’s announcement.
The 2008 blast in Malegaon’s Bhikku Chowk killed six people and injured 95. Originally, 11 were accused; charges were framed against seven, all of whom were acquitted.
(With agency inputs)