Sadhvi Pragya Breaks Down While Addressing BJP Workers, Says ‘Was Beaten Mercilessly in Police Custody’

A day after being declared as the BJP's candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Thursday alleges torture by prison staff.

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Bhopal candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who is also an accused in Malegaon blast, on Thursday alleged brutal torture by jail officials. Sadhvi Pragya alleged that prison staff beat her with a thick whip when she was in the custody.

Narrating her ordeal, she informed that she was thrashed day and night mercilessly. She said that she was in the prison custody for 13 days and had to undergo torture on all the days.

While addressing the party workers, the BJP leader further said that the officials wanted her to take the responsibility for the Malegaon blast, and that she was involved in the killing of Muslims. “Vo kehalvana chahte the ki tumne ek visfot kiya hai aur Muslimo ko maara hai…..subah ho jati thi pit’te pit’te, log badal jate the peetne wale, lekin pitne wali main sirf akeli rehti thi,” ANI reported Sadhvi Pragya as saying. The leader also broke down while sharing the hostile experience she was subjected to in the prison.

#WATCH: Alleging torture by jail officials, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal, breaks down while addressing the party workers pic.twitter.com/UVUomvmJZ2

— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2019

Thakur, who is out on bail, had joined the BJP on Wednesday before her name was announced as its candidate, underscoring the saffron party’s attempt to bring the Hindutva plank at the centre stage of polls in the high profile constituency, which has been its bastion for many elections. An NIA court had dropped charges against her under the stringent MCOCA but she and other co-accused are still facing other charges in the Malegaon case.

Sadhvi’s candidature from Bhopal seat on BJP’s ticket has been criticised by the opposition. Congress’ Tehseen Poonawalla on Thursday filed a complaint with the Election Commission against the candidature of Pragya Singh Thakur and requested it “to debar her from contesting elections as she is a terror accused”.

Further, father of a Malegaon blast victim today filed a plea against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur after she was declared BJP’s candidate from Bhopal. The plea has questioned her candidature before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court citing her health which was one of the reasons in her bail application.

The polling for Bhopal will take place on May 12. The results will come out on May 23.

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