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Pragya Singh Thakur

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Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur
Born
Pragya Chandrapal Singh Thakur

Dhatiya district, Madhya Pradesh, India
Nationality India
Other namesSadhvi Purnachetnagiri
Known forOne of the prime accused persons in Malegaon blasts happened on September 29, 2008
ParentChandrapal Singh Thakur (Father)

Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is an Indian woman accused of orchestrating the Malegaon blasts of 2008 and is currently awaiting trial.

Early life

Pragya Singh was born to Dr. Chandrapal Singh Thakur, a committed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker for the last 35 years and who believes in its core ideology of Hindu rashtra.[1] According to her father, Pragya was a tough girl since her childhood and that she fought against injustice and anti-social activities. She and her sister once beat up a group of boys so severely that they were pleading for mercy.[2]

Pragya was said to have been a tomboy since her childhood, keeping short hair, and dressing like a boy. She was often called 'the girl with boyish looks'. She loved riding bikes. It was a motorcycle registered on her name which led to her arrest in connection with the Malegaon blasts.[3]

Career

Pragya studied at Lahar Collage(Bhind), where, in 1993, she joined Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). She left this organization in 1997. After that she also worked for Rashtrawadi Sena and the Hindu Jagran Manch. She was also a member of Durga Vahini, women's wing of Hindu organization Bajrang Dal. She is also a founder member of Vande Mataram Jan Kalyan Samiti, which is a Sangh Parivar's organization.[4]

Malegaon blast case

Arrest

Thakur is one of the prime accused in the Malegaon blasts case of September 29, 2008. Mumbai's Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) claimed that Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur formed a group to take revenge for the Mumbai train bomb blasts and that her motorcycle was used in bomb blast. This motorcycle was a key evidence in the arrest of Sadhvi.[5] She sold the motorcycle in 2004, to a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh volunteer who was later murdered (as some Hindu groups claim) by members of SIMI.[6]

Chargesheet

On 19 January 2009, Maharashtra Police filed a 4000 page charge sheet for the Malegaon Blast. According to this charge sheet Lt Col Prasad Purohit is the main conspirator who provided the explosives and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur arranged the persons who planted the explosive. On April 11, 2008, Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Lt Col Prasad Purohit met in Bhopal. In this meeting both agreed to for cooperation in carrying out the blast.[7] However, the Maharashtra Control of Crime Act was dropped against Thakur in July 2009 due to lack of evidence[8]

Reaction to her arrest

Uma Bharati, Founder president of Bharatiya Jan Shakti (BJS), defended Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and said "The Sadhvi is not a violent-minded person and she was an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist. She cannot be involved in any subversive activity"[9] Uma Bharati also offer party ticket of upcoming election to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur [10] Baba Ramdev called Sadhvi Pragya Singh Innocent and said he is with her.[11] RSS leader Ram Madhav said that allegations against Sadhvi are baseless and they support Sadhvi.[12] Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) launched a campaign against the arrest of Sadhvi and others.[13] Right wing parties, Abhinav Bharat and Hindu Mahasabha, also announced for the full legal support of Malegaon blast accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.[14] In a speech Pramod Muthalik, chief of Sri Ram Sena, declared Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as a symbol of revolution, she is revolutionary (Kranti Kari). He compared her with Kittur Chanamma, Jhansi Rani and Bhagat Singh. He said that people must not call her a terrorist, as this will hurt the current revolution of country.[15] BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani said that if she is found guilty, she should be punished. The ABVP have distanced themselves from Sadhvi Pragya, saying she was a former member of ABVP and had no recent links with the organization. However, Uma Bharti and Ritambara have come out in support of Sadhvi Pragya and termed the latest development as a pre-planned conspiracy to frame Hindu groups.

Abused in prison

Pragya done some drama, she sent a open letter to the media, saying she is fed up with the ill-treatment being meted out to her by the police and the other authorities. In her letter, dated July 11, She said that she would be committing suicide inside the jail.[16]

She said she was suffering from stomach ache and pain due to kidney disease, because of the physical torture, mental tension, restlessness and worry. She lost her appetite, experienced nausea, felt giddy and was losing consciousness. She said she was pressurized to accept the crime by torturous treatment, though she is fully innocent.[17]

ATS officers ordered my disciple Mr. Bhimjibhai Pasricha to hit the sole of my foot with a stick and belt. When he refused to obey them, he was beaten very severely. Thereafter, ATS officer Khanvilkar started hitting my palms and soles with a belt. Since then I was beaten every now and then. Once, I was woken up to interrogate about the bomb blast at 4 a.m. The officers used very filthy and abusive language while talking to me. My Guru was also not spared from their filthy language. They even doubted my character. I was injured physically as well as mentally. I felt like committing suicide.[citation needed]

The letter, a copy of which is with the DNA, mentions how, in spite of her being unwell, the police took her to JJ Hospital in their jeep instead of hiring an ambulance. Thakur has claimed in her letter that the state government and the ATS have hatched a conspiracy against her, and the JJ Hospital administration is a party to it. She has added that if anything happens to her, their concerted efforts would pay off.[citation needed]

Thakur's lawyer Navin Chaumal said that she was being ill-treated and harassed by the authorities and the cops. He added that when the sadhvi was in the lock-up, before she had to be taken to JJ Hospital, she was given non-vegetarian food. She was badly beaten up by other undertrials. Moreover, JJ Hospital doctors did not treat her properly.[18]

The sadhvi's advocate said it was strange that a dreaded terrorist like Mohammed Ajmal Aamir Kasab was given VIP treatment in jail,[19] whereas Thakur is being ill-treated though being a innocent Hindu leader.

See also

References