Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pragya Singh Thakur on Monday reiterated her allegations of mistreatment and harassment at the hands of the Congress government and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) as she appeared before a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court, alongside six other accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. She blamed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the ATS for her deteriorating health while in police custody.
"The Congress (government)'s atrocities are certain. I was in good health when I was taken into police custody. After that, the condition I was in, my problems kept increasing. I am still suffering. This happened to someone (like me) who is physically trained and fit. When I came, I was healthy, but when I left, I was bed-bound. I suffered from cancer, spinal issues, and neural problems. The damage my body underwent was caused by the atrocities of the Congress government and the ATS," MP Pragya Singh Thakur told news agency ANI.
"I have told the court, and even after being granted bail, I informed the media. The media has seen in what condition I used to reach court," she added.
According to news agency PTI, the Lok Sabha MP arrived nearly two hours later than the other accused and informed the court about her health issues, citing difficulties waking up early in the morning.
The court, subsequently, adjourned the matter to October 3 to record the statements of the accused under section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). This provision allows the court to question the accused regarding the case to enable them to personally explain any circumstances appearing in the evidence against them, PTI reported.
The prosecution had previously informed the court on September 14 that the process of recording evidence in the case had been completed, and no more prosecution witnesses needed to be examined.
Out of the seven accused in the case, only six — including Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni — appeared before the court. Sudhakar Dwivedi, accused number 10, was absent, and his lawyer cited religious rituals as the reason for his non-attendance, subsequently requesting an exemption from appearance. However, the court rejected the plea and issued a bailable warrant of Rs 5,000 against Dwivedi, PTI reported.
In the 2008 Malegaon blast case six people were killed and more than 100 injured when an explosive device detonated near a mosque in Malegaon. It was initially investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). In 2011, the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
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