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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Doctors unveil memorial statue after brutal murder of RG Kar Medical College trainee
Junior doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata have unveiled a statue to honor the memory of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor who was brutally raped and murdered at the hospital on August 9. The sculpture, titled Cry of the Hour, was created by renowned artist Asit Sain and symbolizes the pain and trauma experienced by the victim. It has been placed near the PGB Gardens in front of the building housing the principal’s office, as reported by The Indian Express.
The fibreglass sculpture, a bust of a woman screaming, is inscribed with the words “Abhaya,” signifying the victim’s suffering from the "hellish brutality" she endured. Junior doctors involved in the project expressed that the installation serves as a constant reminder of their colleague and their fight for justice. “It is an emotional moment for us,” one junior doctor told The Indian Express. “She was our colleague. We have been fighting for her. She is in our heart, but this installation will ensure no one ever forgets her.”
Another junior doctor, speaking to PTI, added: "This statue is not of the victim, but a symbol of pain, torture she went through and the ongoing protests."
However, the statue has sparked controversy online, with many criticizing it for being disrespectful and insensitive. Social media users condemned the decision to create a statue representing a rape victim’s pain, with one X user questioning, "The doctors of this country are so tone deaf. Why would you ever create a statue like this based on a rape victim?" Others echoed similar sentiments, with one person calling the statue “so weird and disrespectful,” and another remarking, “Indian women can’t even be remembered with pride. It’s either perpetually be in pain or be forgotten.”
Amid this backlash, the junior doctors have remained steadfast in their efforts to seek justice. On Wednesday, thousands of them participated in a protest march organized by the Bengal Junior Doctors' Front, demanding action from the government. The march began at College Street and ended in the Esplanade area, further intensifying their ongoing call for improved safety measures for healthcare workers in the aftermath of the tragic incident.
