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Pragya Singh Thakur

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Pragya Singh Thakur
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
23 May 2019 – 4 June 2024
Preceded byAlok Sanjar
Succeeded byAlok Sharma
ConstituencyBhopal,Madhya Pradesh
Personal details
Born
Pragya Chandrapal Singh Thakur

(1970-02-02)2 February 1970(age 54)[1][2]
Lahar, Bhind,Madhya Pradesh,India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Parent(s)Dr. C. P. Singh, Sarla Singh
Residence(s)B 29-74, Bungalow, Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh,India
Known forMember of Parliament,and one of the prime accused in2008 Malegaon blasts
Source:[1]

Pragya Singh Thakur(born 2 February 1970), better known asSadhviPragya,[3]is an Indian politician and formerMember of Parliamentwho representedBhopaland belongs to theBharatiya Janata Party.During her college days, she was an active member ofAkhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) and later joined variousaffiliate organisationsof theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS).

She is an accused in the2008 Malegaon bombingswhere 10 people were killed and 82 more were injured. She was arrested on terror charges after her bike was found to be used in the bomb blast. She is currently under trial for multiple charges under theUnlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.In 2017 she was grantedbailon health grounds following the dropping of some of the serious charges by theNational Investigation Agency.[4][5]

Thakur contested the2019 Indian general electionfromBhopal constituency,running againstDigvijaya Singhof theIndian National Congress,the formerChief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.[1]She won her debut contest by a margin of 364,822 votes.[6]According to political scientistChristophe Jaffrelot,she has become the "symbol" of the 2019 election, in which nebulous fringe elements of theHindutvaideology became mainstream.[7]

On 21 November 2019 Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was made a part of the21-member parliamentary consultative committeeon defence, which is headed byDefence MinisterRajnath Singh.After her comment in parliament, where she calledNathuram Godse(Gandhi's assassin) a patriot, she was criticised by opposition party members. On 28 November, she was removed from the committee on defence as well as BJP parliamentary party meetings.

Personal life

Thakur was born on 2 February 1970.[8]Her father, Chandrapal Singh, was anAyurvedicpractitioner inBhind,Madhya Pradesh and a worker ofRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[9]She had been atomboysince herchildhood,keeping her hair short, and dressing like a boy. She was often called 'the girl with boyish looks'.[10]She loved riding bikes. It was amotorcycleregistered on her name which led to her arrest in connection with theMalegaon blasts.[11]

Cancer treatment

Cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. S. S. Rajput of theDr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences,Lucknow said that Thakur underwent a bilateralmastectomyto prevent recurrence of her cancer in 2008, stating he had operated on her three times.[12]She had been operated twice to surgically remove both her breasts to cure her breast cancer.[12]She was criticised for saying that her breastcancergot cured because of usingcow urineandPanchagavya.[12][13][14]

Political career

Thakur studied atLaharCollege (Bhind), where, in 1993, she joinedAkhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP), the student wing of the Sangh Parivar. She subsequently rose to the position of state secretary and left this organisation in 1997. After that, she worked for Rashtrawadi Sena and theHindu Jagran Manch.She was also a member ofDurga Vahini,women's wing of Hindu organisationBajrang Dal.She is also a founder member of Vande Mataram Jan Kalyan Samiti, which is an organisation connected to theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghand belongs to theSangh Parivar.[15]

2019 General Elections

Thakur joined theBharatiya Janata Partyon 17 April 2019 and was declared as the BJP candidate forBhopal Lok Sabha constituencyfor2019 elections.[16][17][18]Thakur was in the news for saying that Mumbai former ATS chiefHemant Karkaredied in2008 Mumbai attacksbecause she cursed him for giving her bad treatment in jail after her arrest in 2008 blasts.[19]BJP leader Fatima Rasool Siddique said her communal and obnoxious remarks have tarnished the image ofShivraj Singh Chouhanand Muslims and she will not campaign for Thakur.[20][21]Election Commission of Indiadirected the police to file an FIR against Thakur for herBabri Masjidremark that she participated indemolition of the Babri Masjidat Ayodhya in 1992.[22]The Election Commission later banned her for 72 hours from campaigning for violating the Model Code of Conduct by stirring up communal feelings.[23]She was later criticised by BJP party leaders for saying that the killer ofMahatma Gandhi,Nathuram Godsewas and always will be a patriot.[24][25]Nevertheless, Thakur won the election by a margin of 364,822 votes defeating opposing candidateDigvijaya Singh,a two-timeChief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.[26][6]According to political scientistChristophe Jaffrelot,she has become the "symbol" of the 2019 election, in which nebulous fringe elements of theHindutvaideology have been mainstreamised.[7]

Parliamentary committee on defence

On 21 November 2019 Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has been made a part of the21-member parliamentary consultative committeeon defence, which is headed byDefence MinisterRajnath Singh.[27]After her comment in parliament, where she calledNathuram Godse(Gandhi's assassin) a patriot, she was criticised by opposition party members. On 28 November, she was sacked from the committee on defence as well as BJP parliamentary party meetings.[28]

2008 Malegaon bombings

Following the2008 Malegaon bombings,in which six people were killed and over 100 injured, Thakur was arrested as one of the prime accused in October 2008 under terrorism charges.[29]

Arrest and trial

Mumbai's Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) claimed that Thakur formed a group to take revenge for the2006 Mumbai train bombingsand that her motorcycle was used in the bomb blast. This motorcycle was a keyevidencein the arrest of Thakur.[30]

On 19 January 2009, Maharashtra Police filed a 4000-page charge sheet for the Malegaon blasts. According to this charge sheet, Lt Col Prasad Purohit was claimed to be the main conspirator who provided the explosives and Thakur arranged the persons who planted the explosive. It was claimed that on 11 April 2008, Thakur and Purohit met in Bhopal wherein both agreed for co-operation in carrying out the blast.[31]However, the charges framed against theMaharashtra Control of Organised Crime Actwere dropped for Thakur in July 2009 because Thakur was not proven to be a member of this organised crime syndicate.[32]

Swami Aseemanandin his on-camera confessions named Thakur as one of the key conspirators in the 2008 Malegaon,Ajmer Dargah,andSamjhauta Expressterror blasts.[33]

Bail pleas

Thakur had challenged the Bombay High court order of 12 March 2010 rejecting her plea forbail,contending that her arrest violated the mandate of Article 22(1) and 22(2) ofthe Constitutionand also on the ground that no charge sheet was filed within 90 days as contemplated by Section 167(2) of theCode of Criminal Procedure.She contended that she was arrested by the Maharashtra Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from Surat on 10 October 2008, but was brought before the magistrate on 24 October, and thus was in illegal detention for 14 days which violated Article 22(2). On 23 September 2011, the Supreme Court dismissed the bail plea. Dismissing her plea, the bench of Justice JM Panchal and JusticeHL Gokhalesaid "The appellant's contention that she was arrested on October 10, 2008, and was in police custody since then is found to be factually incorrect by this Court. The appellant was arrested only on October 23, 2008, and within 24 hours thereof, on October 24, 2008, she was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nasik. As such, there is no violation of either Article 22(2) of the Constitution or Section 167 of Cr.PC."[34]

In 2012 she also filed an application for bail in the Bombay High Court on health grounds, claiming that she has been diagnosed with third-stage breast cancer. On 9 August 2012, she, however, withdrew her application.[35]

In 2014 she again filed an application for bail in the Bombay High Court which was rejected.[36]

In April 2017, she was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on health grounds,[37]following the dropping of charges in under theMCOCAsection by the SpecialNational Investigation Agency.[38]She is currently under trial for multiple charges under theUnlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.[39][40][41]


Allegations of torture

Thakur has made, directly or indirectly, several claims about ill-treatment in prison. In August 2014, theHuman Rights Commissionordered a probe into Thakur's allegations of torture while in police custody. Subsequently, the case of torture was closed as the panel did not find any evidence to support these claims.[42]

Opinions

In December 2020, while addressing a gathering of Kshatriya Mahasabha Thakur made a controversial remark. She said that Brahmins don't feel bad when calledBrahmin,so doKshatriyasandVaishyas.ButShudrasdo not like to be called asShudrabecause of ignorance, they are "unable to understand".[43][44]

During theCOVID-19 pandemicin 2021, Thakur made public remarks addressing BJP party workers inBhopalclaiming that drinkingcow urinehelps infected people heal from the effects of the virus. "I consumed cow urine daily and it is a kind of acid which purifies my body. It also purifies the lungs and saves me from COVID-19 infection. I don’t take any medicine against corona but I am safe." The purported benefits of drinking cow urine have no scientific backing.[45][46]

During the2022 Karnataka hijab rowdefending the ban on hijab, Thakur said that there is "no need to wear hijab anywhere" and that only those who are "not safe in their houses need to wear Hijab". She also said that there is no need to wear a hijab when in the company of the Hindu community, especially at educational institutions.[47]

She also stated her support forNupur Sharmafor the latter'scontroversial remarks on Muhammad.[48]

See also

References

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  2. ^"Pragya Thakur notarised affidavit filed with Election commission of India"(PDF).Election Commission of India(in Hindi). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 April 2019.Retrieved24 April2019.
  3. ^"Who is Sadhvi Pragya?".The Indian Express.17 April 2019.Retrieved31 May2023.
  4. ^"Malegaon blast case: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Prasad Purohit to face trial for terrorism".Live Mint.27 December 2017.Retrieved25 February2019.
  5. ^"Malegaon blast case: MCOCA dropped, terror charges remain against Sadhvi Pragya, Lt Col Purohit".Hindustan Times.27 December 2017.Retrieved25 February2019.
  6. ^ab"Bhopal Elections Results: Congress flunks crucial MP test, hands over win to Pragya Thakur".The Economic Times.Agencies. 23 May 2019.Retrieved25 July2024.
  7. ^abJaffrelot, Christophe (24 May 2019)."Election results invite questions for liberals. Worldwide, they lack their rivals' discipline".The Indian Express.Retrieved24 July2024.
  8. ^"No, Pragya Thakur Wasn't 4 Years Old During Babri Demolition".The Quint.22 April 2019.
  9. ^"rediff.com: 'My daughter Sadhvi Pragya'".www.rediff.com.
  10. ^"How motorbike-riding tomboy became 'Sadhvi' Pragya".The Times of India.14 May 2016.Retrieved21 April2024.
  11. ^"An aggressive Sadhvi".Sify.Archived fromthe originalon 1 March 2020.Retrieved4 October2012.
  12. ^abcShelar, Jyoti (26 April 2019)."Pragya Singh Thakur hailed cow urine, but opted for 'surgical treatment' for cancer".The Hindu.Retrieved26 April2019.
  13. ^"Sadhvi Pragya Says Cow Urine Cures Cancer. Here's a Fact Check".Quint FIT.23 April 2019.
  14. ^Mishra, Lata (25 April 2019)."Tata Memorial doctors slam BJP Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's claim that cow urine can cure Cancer".Mumbai Mirror.Retrieved21 March2022.
  15. ^"India's Independent Weekly News Magazine".Tehelka. Archived fromthe originalon 8 March 2012.Retrieved4 October2012.
  16. ^Dutta, Anup (17 April 2019)."Malegaon blasts accused Sadhvi Pragya to take on Digvijaya in Bhopal".The Hindu.Retrieved20 April2019.
  17. ^"Sadhvi Pragya healthy to contest polls but not to attend hearings".India Today.19 April 2019.Retrieved20 April2019.
  18. ^"Elections 2019: Sadhvi Pragya, Malegaon Blast Accused, Will Take on Digvijaya Singh".NDTV.17 April 2019.Retrieved20 April2019.
  19. ^"Hemant Karkare does not need a certificate from Sadhvi who cursed him".23 April 2019.
  20. ^"'Pragya Thakur's Comments Communal & Obnoxious': BJP's Muslim Face in Bhopal Won't Campaign for Her ".News18.25 April 2019.
  21. ^"Lok Sabha Polls 2019 -" Can't Work With Pragya Thakur Unless She Apologises ": Muslim BJP Leader".NDTV.com.
  22. ^"EC directs police to file FIR against Pragya Singh Thakur over Babri Masjid demolition remark, alleges poll code violation".Firstpost.PTI. 22 April 2019.Retrieved28 July2022.
  23. ^"After political row, EC bans Pragya for 72 hours".The Hindu.2 May 2019.Retrieved2 May2019.
  24. ^"Pragya Sadhvi: 'Party line is my line,' says Pragya Thakur after BJP condemns her 'Godse is a patriot' remark | - Times of India".The Times of India.16 May 2019.Retrieved28 November2019.
  25. ^"Election 2019:" It Is Sedition ": Digvijaya Singh Points To Pragya Thakur's Godse Remark".NDTV.com.Retrieved28 November2019.
  26. ^Trivedi, Vivek (24 May 2019)."Pragya Thakur Gets Hero's Welcome at MP BJP Office After Winning Bhopal, Shivraj Not in Attendance".News18.Retrieved27 February2024.
  27. ^"Pragya Singh Thakur made part of Rajnath Singh-led defence ministry panel".India Today. 21 November 2019.
  28. ^"BJP Condemns Pragya Thakur's Godse Remark, Drops Her From Defence Panel".NDTV.com.Retrieved28 November2019.
  29. ^"Explained: The case against BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Thakur".20 April 2019.Retrieved4 May2019.
  30. ^Sadhvi's passion for motorcycles led to her arrest (27 October 2008)."Sadhvi's passion for motorcycles led to her arrest".NDTV.com.Retrieved4 October2012.
  31. ^"Malegaon blast chargesheet: Purohit is main conspirator".Zeenews.com. 20 January 2009.Retrieved4 October2012.
  32. ^Malegaon case: MCOCA charge against Sadhvi, Purohit droppedRediff - 31 July 2009
  33. ^"Ajmer blast carried out to deter Hindus from visiting dargah".The Hindu.10 January 2011 – via www.thehindu.com.
  34. ^Correspondent, Legal (23 September 2011)."Sadhvi's bail plea fails".The Hindu.Retrieved16 May2019.{{cite news}}:|last1=has generic name (help)
  35. ^"Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur withdraws bail petition - Indian Express".archive.indianexpress.com.10 August 2012.Retrieved16 May2019.
  36. ^Staff Reporter (4 April 2014)."HC denies bail to Sadhvi Pragya in Malegaon blast case".The Hindu.Retrieved16 May2019.
  37. ^"Sadhvi Pragya 'suffering from breast cancer', 'can't walk': 2017 bail order in focus as BJP fields Malegaon blast-accused from Bhopal".Firstpost.18 April 2019.Retrieved16 May2019.
  38. ^"Sadhvi Pragya Thakur: Cherry-picking innocence, Hindutva style".21 April 2019.
  39. ^Tiwary, Deeptiman (20 April 2019)."Explained: The case against BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Thakur".The Indian Express.Retrieved21 April2024.
  40. ^"Malegaon 2008 blast case: Court allows exemption to Pragya Thakur as a 'last chance'".The Indian Express.20 April 2024.Retrieved21 April2024.
  41. ^"Mumbai: Court Grants BJP MP Pragya Thakur Extension Citing Health Reasons In 2008 Malegaon Blast Case".Free Press Journal.21 April 2024.Retrieved21 April2024.
  42. ^Hakim, Sharmeen (20 April 2019)."Rights panel had found no proof of Sadhvi's 'torture in custody'".Pune Mirror.Retrieved28 July2022.
  43. ^"Brahmins don't take offence when caste called, why do 'shudras', says Pragya Thakur".Indian Express.14 December 2020.Retrieved13 December2020.
  44. ^"Shudras feel bad on being called shudras': BJP MP Pragya Thakur courts controversy with caste remarks".India Today.13 December 2020.Retrieved13 December2020.
  45. ^"Drink cow urine to prevent Covid: BJP MP Pragya Thakur; experts reject remark".Hindustan Times.18 May 2021.Retrieved25 May2021.
  46. ^"Cow dung cocktails: why India can't get enough of quack Covid-19 'cures'".South China Morning Post.21 May 2021.Retrieved25 May2021.
  47. ^Jaiswal, Priya (17 February 2022)."Hijab controversy: Those unsafe in their own houses, wear hijab, says Pragya Thakur | VIDEO".India TV News.Retrieved22 March2022.
  48. ^"BJP MP Pragya Thakur Extends Support to Nupur Sharma For Remarks on Prophet".The Wire.10 June 2022.Retrieved28 July2022.
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