Former BJP MP Pragya Thakur, who was among the seven accused acquitted by an NIA court in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, on Thursday hailed the verdict as a victory of Bhagva and Hindutva.
Addressing the judge in the NIA court in Mumbai, Thakur stated that she was falsely implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy to defame Bhagwa (the saffron colour of Hindutva).
“I said this from the very beginning that those who are called for investigation, there should be a basis behind that. I was called by them for investigation and was arrested and tortured. This ruined my whole life. I was living a sage’s life, but I was made an accused, and no one was willing to stand with us. I am alive because I am a Sanyasi. They defamed Bhagwa through a conspiracy,” she said.
The former BJP MP hailed the court’s verdict, saying those who defamed ‘Bhagwa’ have been proven wrong. “Today, Bhagwa has won, and Hindutva has won, and God will punish those who are guilty. However, those who defamed India and Bhagwa have been proven wrong by you,” she added.
Colonel Purohit thanks NIA court for restoring common man’s faith in the system
Reacting to the verdict, Colonel Prasad Shrikant Purohit thanked the court for restoring the faith of the common man in the system.
“I thank you for giving me a chance to serve my nation and my organisation with the same conviction that I was doing before I was framed in this matter. I don’t blame any organisation for all this. Organisations like investigating agencies are not wrong, but people inside the organisations are the ones who have done wrong. I thank you for restoring the faith of the common man in the system,” he said while addressing the judge.
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court today acquitted all the accused in the 2008 Malegaon Blast case, including Pragya Thakur and Colonel Purohit. The other accused who were acquitted by the NIA court are retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, and Sameer Kulkarni.
They were acquitted of all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act, and other relevant laws.
Moreover, the court also ordered Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) ADG to initiate a probe into the matter of planting of explosives in the house of the accused Sudhakar Chaturvedi.