A person allegedly known to BJP leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Pragya Singh Thakur has become the 37th witness to turn hostile in the 2008 Malegaon blast case trial.
Thakur, who represents the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, and six other accused are facing trial in the case.
Witness had attended Thakur's function as per earlier statement
As per his statement given to the Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which had investigated the case earlier, the witness had attended functions of Thakur and was known to her.
However, while recording his testimony before a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) judge on Wednesday, the witness said that he doesn’t know Thakur. He also denied voluntarily giving any statement to the ATS.
Never overheard the conversation: Witness
The witness also said he had never overheard a conversation between Thakur and absconding accused Ramji Kalsangra. According to the prosecution, Ramji had fitted Thakur’s LML Freedom motorcycle with explosives and left it in Malegaon. In the conversation, which takes after the blast, Thakur tells Kalsangra that she has been called in for questioning. The witness denied overhearing the conversation.
The court then declared him hostile. Of the more than 300 witnesses examined so far, 37 have not supported the prosecution case.
Thakur, Purohit, five others accused in case
The trial began in 2018 after the special NIA court framed charges against Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Thakur and five others for terror activities, criminal conspiracy and murder, among others. All of them are out on bail.
Six people were killed and more than 100 injured on September 29, 2008, when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon.
The ATS investigated the case initially before the NIA took over.
