'Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday defended his party’s decision to field Pragya Singh Thakur as its candidate from Bhopal, saying it was a symbolic response to those who falsely labelled the glorious Hindu civilisation as “terrorist”. Modi accused the Congress party for creating “false narratives” on saffron terror. However, there was a time when the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Modi’s party, had tried to distance itself from the “activities” of Lt Col Prasad Srikant Purohit and his associates, which included Thakur.
'... In 2014, soon after the BJP came to power at the centre, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had unceremoniously ousted Salian, an experienced special public prosecutor, from two high-profile investigations – the Malegaon bomb blasts of 2006 and 2008. In 2016, Salian broke her silence and made an explosive revelation about the investigating agency’s alleged direction to her to “go soft” on the accused. When she refused to budge, she was shunted out without an explanation...
'Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit has been released on bail after nine years in custody for his alleged involvement in the Malegaon blasts of September 2008, which killed seven and injured over a hundred. Initial investigations indicated the involvement of a hardline pro-Hindu group, Abhinav Bharat. Subsequent investigations led to the arrests of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired) and Lt Col Purohit, a serving officer of the military intelligence branch of the Army.
'When they came in November 2008 they had none of the coyness and reserve typical of new entrants into a prison. Even the more hardened Anda Barrack inmates of Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail were somewhat taken aback at the cockiness of the new lot led by Lt Col Purohit, whose words were soon being passed through the cells in hushed whispers: "We've done it and we'll do it again".
