‘Was Tortured to Name PM Modi’: Pragya Thakur’s Big Claim After Acquittal
Former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, days after her acquittal in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, has made the stunning claim that she was “forced and tortured to take the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and others” during her interrogation.
Thakur alleged that the previous UPA government was behind a “conspiracy” to frame her in a “false case” with the aim of defaming “the saffron (Bhagwa) and the armed forces.” She stated, “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.” Describing the verdict as a victory for ‘dharma,’ she launched a sharp attack on the Congress, calling it an “anti-religion” party that “feeds terrorists.”
Her explosive allegations come just days after a special NIA court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the Malegaon blast case, including Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, after a 17-year trial. In a stinging verdict, Special Judge AK Lahoti noted that there was no “reliable and cogent evidence” and that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Thakur’s claims appear to be corroborated by similar allegations from a former investigator in the case. Following the verdict, retired Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer Mehboob Mujawar claimed that his then-superior, Investigating Officer Param Bir Singh, had ordered him to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in an attempt to push the ‘saffron terror’ narrative. “I was directed by Param Bir Singh, and those above him asked me to arrest… RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat,” Mujawar stated, adding that he refused to comply with the unlawful order.
The acquittals, followed by these damning allegations from both a key accused and a former investigator, have reignited the intense political debate over the “saffron terror” narrative and the conduct of probe agencies during the UPA era. The focus has now shifted to the political fallout and calls for accountability for what Thakur and her supporters describe as a malicious and fabricated case.
