Pragya Singh Thakur
Encyclopedia
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is an Indian woman accused of orchestrating the Malegaon
blasts of 2008 and is currently awaiting trial.
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.
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
.
, women's wing of Hindu organization Bajrang Dal
. She is also a founder member of Vande Mataram Jan Kalyan Samiti, which is a organization connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
and belongs to the Sangh Parivar
.
train bomb blasts and that her motorcycle was used in bomb blast. This motorcycle was a key evidence
in the arrest of Sadhvi. She sold the motorcycle in 2004, to a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
volunteer who was later murdered (as some Hindu groups claim) by members of RSS
.
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. However, the Maharashtra Control of Crime Act was dropped against Thakur in July 2009 because Thakur was not proven to be a member of an organized crime syndicate.
Swami Aseemanand
in his alleged confessions named Prgaya Singh Thakur as one of the key conspirators in the 2008 malegaon, ajmer dargah and samjhauta express terror blasts.
Dismissing her plea, the bench of Justice J.M.Panchal and Justice H.L.Gokhale said: ‘Having regard to the totality of the facts and circumstances of the case, this court is of the opinion that question of violation of Article 22(2) does not arise.’
Sadhvi Pragya had challenged the Bombay High court order of March 12, 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.
According to Article 22(2): ‘Every person who is arrested and detained in custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of twentyfour hours of such arrest, excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the magistrate, and no such person shall be detained in custody beyond the said period without the authority of a magistrate.’
Sadhvi Pragya contended that she was arrested by the Maharashtra Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from Surat on Oct 10, 2008, but was brought before the magistrate Oct 24, and thus was in illegal detention for 14 days and this was in violation of Article 22(2).
It's been unofficially found that police has arrested her on 10th but on record they show it on 24th Oct.
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.
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.
claimed that the ATS was torturing her in her cell Thakur was also taken to her hospital in jeep instead of ambulance Thakur in her confinement lost a significant amount of weight, leading the MCOCA to order an investigation into allegations of torture at the hands of the ATS
Pragya sent an open letter to the media, threatening to commit suicide inside the jail, due to the ill-treatment meted out to her.
Malegaon
Malegaon is a city and a Municipal Corporation in the Nashik district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.Malegaon is one of the largest cities in northwest Maharashtra with an estimated population of 12 lakh to 14 lakh...
blasts of 2008 and is currently awaiting trial.
Early life
Pragya Singh was born to Dr. Chandrapal Singh Thakur, a long-time Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker and believer in its core ideology of "Hindu rashtra". According to her father, Pragya was a tough girlGirl
A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
since her childhood and that she fought against "injustice
Injustice
Injustice is the lack of or opposition to justice, either in reference to a particular event or act, or as a larger status quo. The term generally refers to misuse, abuse, neglect, or malfeasance that is uncorrected or else sanctioned by a legal system. Misuse and abuse with regard to a particular...
" and "anti-social
Anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that lacks consideration for others and that may cause damage to society, whether intentionally or through negligence, as opposed to pro-social behaviour, behaviour that helps or benefits society...
" activities. She and her sister once beat up a group of boys so severely that they were pleading for mercy.
Pragya was said to have been a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
since her childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
, 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
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
registered on her name which led to her arrest in connection with the Malegaon blasts
29 September 2008 western India bombings
In the 29 September 2008 Western India bombings, three bombs exploded in the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra of India killing 8 persons and injuring 80...
.
Political career
Pragya studied at Lahar Collage(Bhind), where, in 1993, she joined Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtreey svayamsevak sangh. She subsequently rose to the position of state secretary and 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 VahiniDurga Vahini
The Durga Vahini is the women's wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad . It was established in 1991 and its founding chairperson is Sadhvi Rithambara. The Vishva Hindu Parishad states the purpose of the Durga Vahini is to encourage more women to participate in prayer meetings and in cultural activities...
, women's wing of Hindu organization Bajrang Dal
Bajrang Dal
The Bajrang Dal , a hardline and militant Hindu organization in India, is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and is based on the ideology of Hindutva. Founded on 1 October 1984 in Uttar Pradesh, India, it has since spread throughout India...
. She is also a founder member of Vande Mataram Jan Kalyan Samiti, which is a organization connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
and belongs to the Sangh Parivar
Sangh Parivar
The Sangh Parivar refers to the family of organisations of Hindu nationalists which have been started by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or are inspired by its ideas. The Sangh Parivar represents the Hindu nationalist movement. It includes the RSS and several dozen smaller...
.
Arrest and trial
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 MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
train bomb blasts and that her motorcycle was used in bomb blast. This motorcycle was a key evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
in the arrest of Sadhvi. She sold the motorcycle in 2004, to a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
volunteer who was later murdered (as some Hindu groups claim) by members of RSS
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Patriotic Organization), also known the Sangh, is a right-wing Hindu nationalist, paramilitary, volunteer, and allegedly militant organization for Hindu males in India...
.
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. However, the Maharashtra Control of Crime Act was dropped against Thakur in July 2009 because Thakur was not proven to be a member of an organized crime syndicate.
Swami Aseemanand
Swami Aseemanand
Swami Aseemanand is a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist from India who is accused of planning terror attacks on Ajmer Sharif, Mecca Masjid, 2006 Malegaon blasts and 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings. The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Aseemanand on November 19, 2010 for his...
in his alleged confessions named Prgaya Singh Thakur as one of the key conspirators in the 2008 malegaon, ajmer dargah and samjhauta express terror blasts.
ChargeSheet not file, still no bail
The Supreme Court Friday, 23rd Sept 2011, dismissed the bail plea of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast, in which six people were killed and over 100 injured.Dismissing her plea, the bench of Justice J.M.Panchal and Justice H.L.Gokhale said: ‘Having regard to the totality of the facts and circumstances of the case, this court is of the opinion that question of violation of Article 22(2) does not arise.’
Sadhvi Pragya had challenged the Bombay High court order of March 12, 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.
According to Article 22(2): ‘Every person who is arrested and detained in custody shall be produced before the nearest magistrate within a period of twentyfour hours of such arrest, excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the magistrate, and no such person shall be detained in custody beyond the said period without the authority of a magistrate.’
Sadhvi Pragya contended that she was arrested by the Maharashtra Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from Surat on Oct 10, 2008, but was brought before the magistrate Oct 24, and thus was in illegal detention for 14 days and this was in violation of Article 22(2).
It's been unofficially found that police has arrested her on 10th but on record they show it on 24th Oct.
Reaction to her arrest
After Thakur's arrest, several leading right-wing leaders protested against her arrest, mostly on the basis that a right-wing activist could not be involved in such cases.- 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" Uma Bharati also offer party ticket of upcoming electionElectionAn election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur - Baba Ramdev called Sadhvi Pragya Singh Innocent and said he is with her. RSS leader Ram Madhav said that allegations against Sadhvi are baseless and they support Sadhvi.
- Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) launched a campaign against the arrest of Sadhvi and others.
- Right wing parties, Abhinav Bharat and Hindu Mahasabha, also announced for the full legal support of Malegaon blast accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.
- In a speech Pramod Muthalik, chief of Sri Ram SenaSri Ram SenaThe Sri Ram Sena is a right-wing Hindu extremist group founded in the late 1960s by Kalki Ji Maharaj right hand Bal Thackeray, a former leader of the Shiv Sena, the Bajrang Dal and the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Kalki Ji Maharaj is a devotee of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna was born in Vrindavan U.P....
, declared Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as a symbol of revolution, she is revolutionary (Kranti Kari). He compared her with Kittur Chanamma, Jhansi ki Rani and Bhagat Singh. He said that people must not call her a terrorist, as this will hurt the current revolution of country.
Uma Bharti and Ritambara have come out in support of Sadhvi Pragya and termed the latest development as a pre-planned conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to frame Hindu groups.
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.
Allegations of torture
Pragya Singh Thakur has made, directly or indirectly, several claims about ill-treatment in prison. Bal ThackerayBal Thackeray
Bal Keshav Thackeray , popularly known as Balasaheb Thackeray, is an Indian politician, founder and chief of the Shiv Sena, a right-wing Hindu nationalist, and Marathi ethnocentric party active mainly in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.Born in Pune, Thackeray began his professional career...
claimed that the ATS was torturing her in her cell Thakur was also taken to her hospital in jeep instead of ambulance Thakur in her confinement lost a significant amount of weight, leading the MCOCA to order an investigation into allegations of torture at the hands of the ATS
Pragya sent an open letter to the media, threatening to commit suicide inside the jail, due to the ill-treatment meted out to her.