Pragya Singh Thakur

Pragya Singh Thakur (born 2 February 1970), better known as Sadhvi Pragya, is an Indian politician and Member of Parliament representing Bhopal and belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party. She was a prime accused in Malegaon blasts. During the college days, she was active member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and later joined various affiliate organisations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). And is also known for being an accused in Malegaon Terror Blasts.

Pragya Singh Thakur
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Assumed office
23 May 2019
Preceded byAlok Sanjar
ConstituencyBhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Personal details
Born
Pragya Chandrapal Singh Thakur

(1970-02-02) 2 February 1970[1][2]
Dhatiya district, Madhya Pradesh, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Known forOne of the prime accused persons in Malegaon blasts happened on 29 September 2008

She is accused of the 2008 Malegaon bombings where 10 people were killed and 82 more were injured. She was arrested on terror charges after her bike was found to be used in the bomb blast. She is currently under trial for multiple charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In 2017, she was granted bail on health grounds following the dropping of some of the serious charges by the National Investigation Agency.[3][4]

Thakur contested the 2019 Indian general election from Bhopal constituency, running against Digvijaya Singh of the Indian National Congress, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.[1] She won her debut contest by a margin of 364,822 votes.[5] According to political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot, she has become the "symbol" of the 2019 election, in which nebulous fringe elements of the Hindutva ideology have been mainstreamised.[6]

On November 21, 2019 Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has been made a part of the 21-member parliamentary consultative committee on defence, which is headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. After her comment in parliament, where she called Nathuram Godse (Gandhi's assassin) a patriot, she was criticised by opposition party members. On 28 November, she was sacked from the committee on defence as well as BJP parliamentary party meetings.

Personal life

Thakur was born on 2 February 1970.[7] Her father, Chandrapal Singh, was an Ayurvedic practitioner in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh and a worker of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[8] She had 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.[9]

Cancer treatment

Cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. S. S. Rajput of the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow said that Thakur underwent a bilateral mastectomy to prevent recurrence of her cancer in 2008, stating he had operated on her three times.[10] She had been operated twice to surgically remove both her breast to cure her breast cancer.[10] She was criticised for saying that her breast cancer got cured because of using cow urine and Panchagavya.[10][11][12]

Political career

Thakur studied at Lahar College (Bhind), where, in 1993, she joined Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Sangh Parivar. She subsequently rose to the position of state secretary and left this organisation in 1997. After that, she worked for Rashtrawadi Sena and the Hindu Jagran Manch. She was also a member of Durga Vahini, women's wing of Hindu organisation Bajrang Dal. She is also a founder member of Vande Mataram Jan Kalyan Samiti, which is an organisation connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and belongs to the Sangh Parivar.[13]

2019 General Elections

Thakur joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 17 April 2019 and was declared as the BJP candidate for Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency for 2019 elections.[14][15][16] Thakur was in the news for saying that Mumbai former ATS chief Hemant Karkare died in 2008 Mumbai attacks because she cursed him for giving her bad treatment in jail after her arrest in 2008 blasts.[17] BJP leader Fatima Rasool Siddique said her communal and obnoxious remarks have tarnished the image of Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Muslims and she will not campaign for Thakur.[18][19] Election Commission of India directed the police to file an FIR against Thakur for her Babri Masjid remark that she participated in demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in 1992.[20] The Election Commission later banned her for 72 hours from campaigning for violating the Model Code of Conduct by stirring up communal feelings.[21] She was later criticised by BJP party leaders for saying that the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, Nathuram Godse was and always will be a patriot.[22][23] Nevertheless, Thakur won the election by a margin of 364,822 votes defeating opposing candidate Digvijaya Singh, a two-time Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.[24][5] According to political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot, she has become the "symbol" of the 2019 election, in which nebulous fringe elements of the Hindutva ideology have been mainstreamised.[6]

Parliamentary committee on defence

On November 21, 2019 Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has been made a part of the 21-member parliamentary consultative committee on defence, which is headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.[25] After her comment in parliament, where she called Nathuram Godse (Gandhi's assassin) a patriot, she was criticised by opposition party members. On 28 November, she was sacked from the committee on defence as well as BJP parliamentary party meetings.[26]

2008 Malegaon bombings

Following the 2008 Malegaon bombings, in which six people were killed and over 100 injured, Thakur was arrested as one of the prime accused in October 2008 under terrorism charges.[27]

Arrest and trial

Mumbai's Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) claimed that Thakur formed a group to take revenge for the 2006 Mumbai train bombings and that her motorcycle was used in the bomb blast. This motorcycle was a key evidence in the arrest of Thakur.[28]

On 19 January 2009, Maharashtra Police filed a 4000-page charge sheet for the Malegaon blasts. According to this charge sheet, Lt Col Prasad Purohit was claimed to be the main conspirator who provided the explosives and Thakur arranged the persons who planted the explosive. It was claimed that on 11 April 2008, Thakur and Purohit met in Bhopal wherein both agreed for co-operation in carrying out the blast.[29] However, the charges framed against the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act were dropped for Thakur in July 2009 because Thakur was not proven to be a member of this organised crime syndicate.[30]

Swami Aseemanand in his on-camera confessions named Thakur as one of the key conspirators in the 2008 Malegaon, Ajmer Dargah, and Samjhauta Express terror blasts.[31]

Bail pleas

Thakur had challenged the Bombay High court order of 12 March 2010 rejecting her plea for bail, contending that her arrest violated the mandate of Article 22(1) and 22(2) of the Constitution and also on the ground that no charge sheet was filed within 90 days as contemplated by Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. She contended that she was arrested by the Maharashtra Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from Surat on 10 October 2008, but was brought before the magistrate on 24 October, and thus was in illegal detention for 14 days which violated Article 22(2). On 23 September 2011, the Supreme Court dismissed the bail plea. Dismissing her plea, the bench of Justice JM Panchal and Justice HL Gokhale said "The appellant's contention that she was arrested on October 10, 2008, and was in police custody since then is found to be factually incorrect by this Court. The appellant was arrested only on October 23, 2008, and within 24 hours thereof, on October 24, 2008, she was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nasik. As such, there is no violation of either Article 22(2) of the Constitution or Section 167 of Cr.PC."[32]

In 2012 she also filed an application for bail in the Bombay High Court on health grounds, claiming that she has been diagnosed with third-stage breast cancer. On 9 August 2012, she, however, withdrew her application.[33]

In 2014 she again filed an application for bail in the Bombay High Court which was rejected.[34]

In April 2017, she was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on health grounds,[35] following the dropping of charges in under the MCOCA section by the Special National Investigation Agency.[36] She is currently under trial for multiple charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.[37]

Allegations of torture

Thakur has made, directly or indirectly, several claims about ill-treatment in prison. In August 2014, the Human Rights Commission ordered a probe into Thakur's allegations of torture while in police custody. Subsequently, the case of torture was closed as the panel did not find any evidence to support these claims.[38]

Controversies

Thakur caused stir in July 2020 after statements claiming that reciting a devotional hymn known as Hanuman Chalisa would help eradicate COVID-19.[39][40]

gollark: To demonstrate its glory to those with rednet monitors. Do you want it minified?
gollark: I have a tool on my pastebin for sending them. Also a repeater which is immune to them.
gollark: <@113673208296636420> There exist packets which rednet repeaters will repeat infinitely. Also ones which crash them.
gollark: <@111569489971159040> How did you hacker the firewolf? Firewolf is unhackerable!!!!¡!!!!
gollark: seized your property → stole your stuff

See also

References
  1. DelhiApril 21, Vidya New; April 21, 2019UPDATED; Ist, 2019 21:39. "Fact Check: Mehbooba Mufti, senior journalists are wrong on Sadhvi Pragya's age". India Today.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. "Pragya Thakur notarised affidavit filed with Election commission of India" (PDF). Election Commission of India (in Hindi). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  3. "Malegaon blast case: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Prasad Purohit to face trial for terrorism". Live Mint. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  4. "Malegaon blast case: MCOCA dropped, terror charges remain against Sadhvi Pragya, Lt Col Purohit". Hindustan Times. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  5. , EconomicTimes, 23 May 2019.
  6. Election results invite questions for liberals. Worldwide, they lack their rivals’ discipline, The Indian Express, 24 May 2019.
  7. "No, Pragya Thakur Wasn't 4 Years Old During Babri Demolition". The Quint. 22 April 2019.
  8. "rediff.com: 'My daughter Sadhvi Pragya'". www.rediff.com.
  9. "An aggressive Sadhvi". Sify.com. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  10. Shelar, Jyoti (26 April 2019). "Pragya Singh Thakur hailed cow urine, but opted for 'surgical treatment' for cancer". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  11. "Sadhvi Pragya Says Cow Urine Cures Cancer. Here's a Fact Check". Quint FIT. 23 April 2019.
  12. "Tata Memorial doctors slam BJP Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's claim that cow urine can cure Cancer". Mumbai Mirror.
  13. "India's Independent Weekly News Magazine". Tehelka. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  14. Dutta, Anup (17 April 2019). "Malegaon blasts accused Sadhvi Pragya to take on Digvijaya in Bhopal". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  15. "Sadhvi Pragya healthy to contest polls but not to attend hearings". India Today. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  16. "Elections 2019: Sadhvi Pragya, Malegaon Blast Accused, Will Take on Digvijaya Singh". NDTV. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  17. "Hemant Karkare does not need a certificate from Sadhvi who cursed him". 23 April 2019.
  18. "'Pragya Thakur's Comments Communal & Obnoxious': BJP's Muslim Face in Bhopal Won't Campaign for Her". News18. 25 April 2019.
  19. "Lok Sabha Polls 2019 - "Can't Work With Pragya Thakur Unless She Apologises": Muslim BJP Leader". NDTV.com.
  20. "EC directs police to file FIR against Pragya Singh Thakur over Babri Masjid demolition remark, alleges poll code violation". Firstpost.
  21. "After political row, EC bans Pragya for 72 hours". The Hindu. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  22. "Pragya Sadhvi: 'Party line is my line,' says Pragya Thakur after BJP condemns her 'Godse is a patriot' remark | - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  23. "Election 2019: "It Is Sedition": Digvijaya Singh Points To Pragya Thakur's Godse Remark". NDTV.com. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  24. "Pragya Thakur Gets Hero's Welcome at MP BJP Office After Winning Bhopal, Shivraj Not in Attendance".
  25. "Pragya Singh Thakur made part of Rajnath Singh-led defence ministry panel". India Today. 21 November 2019.
  26. "BJP Condemns Pragya Thakur's Godse Remark, Drops Her From Defence Panel". NDTV.com. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  27. "Explained: The case against BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Thakur". 20 April 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  28. Sadhvi's passion for motorcycles led to her arrest (27 October 2008). "Sadhvi's passion for motorcycles led to her arrest". NDTV.com. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  29. "Malegaon blast chargesheet: Purohit is main conspirator". Zeenews.com. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  30. Malegaon case: MCOCA charge against Sadhvi, Purohit dropped Rediff - 31 July 2009
  31. "Ajmer blast carried out to deter Hindus from visiting dargah". The Hindu. 10 January 2011 – via www.thehindu.com.
  32. Correspondent, Legal (23 September 2011). "Sadhvi's bail plea fails". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  33. "Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur withdraws bail petition - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  34. Reporter, Staff (4 April 2014). "HC denies bail to Sadhvi Pragya in Malegaon blast case". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  35. "Sadhvi Pragya 'suffering from breast cancer', 'can't walk': 2017 bail order in focus as BJP fields Malegaon blast-accused from Bhopal". Firstpost. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  36. "Sadhvi Pragya Thakur: Cherry-picking innocence, Hindutva style". 21 April 2019.
  37. "Explained: The case against BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya", Indian Express, 18 April 2019, retrieved 18 April 2019
  38. "Rights panel had found no proof of Sadhvi's torture in custody". Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  39. Desk, India com Viral News (26 July 2020). "Recite Hanuman Chalisa 5 Times a Day, Keep COVID-19 Away: BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur's Tweet Leaves Netizens in Splits". India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  40. ""Recite Hanuman Chalisa To Fight Coronavirus": BJP's Pragya Thakur". NDTV.com. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
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