Malegaon blast case: Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur says she was tortured, forced to name PM Modi, UP CM Yogi Adityanath & others
Pragya Thakur, acquitted in the Malegaon blast case, alleged torture by the ATS. She said she was forced to implicate Narendra Modi, Yogi Adityanath, and Mohan Bhagwat. She claimed the Congress party orchestrated a conspiracy. The NIA court acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts. The court cited a lack of evidence.
PTI Pragya Singh Thakur Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur, who was acquitted by NIA court in the Malegaon blast case, claimed that she was tortured and forced by the ATS to name Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwant's names among others in the case. "I have given everything in writing and named all those whom I was forced to name. They kept saying, 'Name these people then we won't beat you.' Their main aim was to torture me," Thakur told reporters on Saturday. "They kept me illegally for 13 days, but the torture happened during the 24 days in their custody," she added. She further alleged that this was a conspiracy by the Congress which has now been exposed, adding that the case is a victory of 'Bhagwa, Sanatana and Rashtra'. "This was a conspiracy by the Congress, and it has now been exposed. There is no need for further proof because truth always prevails, and it has prevailed this time as well. Congress targeted saints, the RSS, and the Army, all of which are fundamental pillars of India, in an attempt to destroy them.'
"'Bhagawa, Sanatana aur Rashtra ki vijay hui hai'... I had to face a lot of difficulties, but I will keep doing everything possible for the country in future... The entire case was falsely made by Congress. This case was baseless... Congress always uses respectful words for terrorists. Congress party cannot become a nation-loving party..." Thakur said.
On Thursday, the NIA special court acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case. The court said that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to the acquittal of the accused, including Pragya Singh Thakur, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya), and Sameer Kulkarni.
Further, the court also ordered Maharashtra government to provide compensation to the victims' families, awarding Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured in the blasts.The court found no evidence of explosives being stored or assembled at the residence of Prasad Purohit, another accused in the case."No sketch of spot was done by the investigation officer while doing panchnama. No finger print , dump data or anything else was collected for the spot. The samples were contaminated so reports can't be conclusive and relied upon," the court said.The case dates back to September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City's Bhikku Chowk, resulting in the deaths of six people and injuring 95 others.
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