Malegaon Blast Verdict: ‘Was Arrested, Tortured Without Basis,’ Reacts Sadhvi Pragya

Former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur (Photo: IANS)

Former-BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Thursday claimed that her arrest and subsequent investigation in the 2008 Malegaon blast case were unjustified and lacked proper basis. 

Pragya alleged that she was called for questioning, arrested, and tortured during the probe, which, she said, 'ruined her whole life.'

"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," she said. 

She claimed that "they defamed Bhagwa through a conspiracy" and added that "Bhagwa has won, and Hindutva has won" today. 

"I am alive because I am a Sanyasi. They defamed Bhagwa through a conspiracy. Today, Bhagwa has won, and Hindutva has won, and God will punish those who are guilty. However, those who defamed India and Bhagwa have not been proved wrong by you," Pragya said.

Her remarks came after a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai on Thursday acquitted all seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, including former BJP MP Pragya Thakur and former army officer Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit.

2008 Malegaon Blast

On September 29, 2008, a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded near a mosque in Malegaon, a city in Maharashtra with a significant Muslim population, during the month of Ramadan. The blast caused the deaths of six people and injured more than 100 others. This incident occurred on the eve of the Hindu festival of Navratri and was seen by authorities as an attempt to incite communal tensions in an already sensitive area.

Who Were The Accused?

Seven people were accused in the case, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit. The other accused were Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi.

They accused were charged with murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and promoting enmity between communities under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as well as various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The seven were tried for a long time and the case attracted a lot of attention due to its communal sensitivity and the personalities of the accused. The NIA court eventually acquitted all the accused in 2025, citing insufficient evidence to support the prosecution's claims.