Prime accused in 2008 Malegaon case Pragya Thakur blames SIMI for blast that killed 6 persons
Mumbai, Oct 3: BJP leader Pragya Thakur, a prime accused in the September 2008 bomb blast in Malegaon in Maharashtra alleged to have been carried out by Hindu extremists, on Thursday sought to shift the blame by claiming the explosion could have been set off by the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
Thakur's assertion was made during final arguments presented by her advocate J P Mishra in a special court in Mumbai hearing the 16-year-old case.
Mishra argued that an office of SIMI was located near the blast site, asserting the incident could have been an "accidental explosion" involving explosives transported by the banned group.
The blast, which occurred on September 29, 2008, killed six individuals and injured over 100 when a motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated near a mosque in Malegaon town in Nashik district, approximately 200 kilometres from Mumbai.
During the proceedings, Mishra alleged that local residents obstructed police access to the blast site immediately following the explosion and claimed this could have been a deliberate act to shield the accused and protect individuals associated with SIMI.
Whenever there is an incident such as this, people help the police. However, in this case, a large crowd gathered and pelted stones at police, preventing them from reaching the blast site, the advocate claimed.
"This could have been done to shield the accused. This could have been done to protect their people (belonging to SIMI)," Mishra alleged.
The prosecution has maintained that Thakur, along with co-accused, including Lt Col Prasad Purohit, conspired to orchestrate the blast, with the motorcycle identified as belonging to the BJP leader.
Notably, the court had previously ordered the former BJP Lok Sabha member from Bhopal, who is currently out on bail, to attend the hearing, but she was absent on Thursday.
Mishra further contended that the charges framed by the court did not assign specific roles to any of the accused, indicating gaps in the prosecution's case. He is expected to continue his arguments on Friday.
The 2008 blast in Malegaon was not an isolated incident. It occurred two years after a similar attack in the communally sensitive town on September 8, 2006, which killed 37 people.
In the 2006 case, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested nine Muslim men allegedly linked to SIMI, claiming the blast aimed to incite communal tension.
While one of them died awaiting trial, in 2016 a special court discharged the remaining eight citing lack of evidence and labelling them as "scapegoats".
The 2006 Malegaon blast probe was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which subsequently arrested four individuals -- identified as Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhary -- in 2013. They were granted bail in 2019.
In the ongoing trial for the 2008 incident, besides Thakur, other accused include Lt Col Purohit, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), and several others, all charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, an anti-terror act, and the Indian Penal Code.
The case, initially investigated by the ATS, was transferred to the NIA in 2011. The special court framed charges against the accused in October 2018, and throughout the trial, 323 prosecution witnesses were examined, with 34 of them turning hostile.
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11-year-old dies by suicide after sexual assault in Bareilly; accused arrested
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl, who later died by suicide due to trauma, police said on Wednesday.
The post-mortem report confirmed sexual assault and multiple injuries on the minor's body, including bite marks and nail scratches. The cause of death was found to be hanging, they said.
According to ASP (South) Anshika Verma, the incident came to light on 27 April, when the girl, a Class 8 student, was found hanging at her home in Deoria Abdullaganj village under the Mirganj police station area. Initially, the family reported the death as suicide and was reluctant to pursue police action.
"The autopsy report changed the course of the investigation. It confirmed sexual assault and noted severe physical trauma. The cause of death was confirmed as hanging," Verma said.
A breakthrough in the case came from the statement of the victim's younger sister, who told police that the accused, Zeeshan (26), a resident of the same village, frequently loitered near the minor's school and allegedly gave her small sums of money to keep his interactions with her a secret, she said.
Police said that on the day of the incident, the accused allegedly lured the minor and assaulted her. Distressed by the incident, the child later took her own life while her mother was away, police said.
"Based on technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and statements from the family, we established Zeeshan's involvement. He was arrested near the Mirganj weekly market on Tuesday," they said.
