Hindu activist Pragya Singh Thakur on Tuesday joined BJP in Bhopal. She is also known as Sadhvi Pragya and she will be contesting elections against Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. Thakur is out on bail, as her name was in the list of accused who were involved 2008 Malegaon blast case. So talking more about her let’s look into the history of Pragya Singh Thakur.
She was an ABVP activist during her college days, and had a bend towards Hindu right-wing since her childhood. Her father, Chandrapal Singh Thakur, was actively involved with the RSS.
She is from Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh and earlier she has campaigned for BJP in the state. In 2009 she was arrested in with the Malegaon blast case were six were killed and around 100 were injured.
After nine years in jail, Sadhvi Pragya was given a clean chit by the NIA in 2015. This was months after special public prosecutor Rohini Salian told The Indian Express that the NIA had put pressure on her to go slow in the case. The court, however, rejected the NIA’s views on Thakur and arraigned her as an accused under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Her arrest sparked the controversy and Hindutva groups targeted United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and said they have framed the accused to defame their cause and to excuse jihadist violence. The BJP has also slammed the Congress for inventing the term ‘Hindu terror’ after the Malegaon blast.
