‘Forced me to take names of Mohan Bhagwat, PM Modi, Yogi Adityanath’: Sadhvi Pragya on investigation of Malegaon Bomb blast

BHOPAL(Madhya Pradesh): BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Sunday alleged that she was “forced” to take the names of PM Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and other leaders during the investigation of 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.

“I have said this earlier too, that they forced me to take the names of tall leaders. I didn’t take those names; I didn’t act as they wanted me to. So, they tortured me. Those names especially included, Mohan Bhagwat, Ram Madhav, PM Modi, Yogi Adityanath, Indresh Kumar and other leaders,” she said.

Sadhvi Pragya’s remark came after the NIA special court acquitted her and all the other accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case.

Sadhvi Pragya lashed out at Congress, calling the court decision a “slap on the faces of those who called it saffron terror.”

“Bhagwa aatankwaad kehne waalon ke munh kaale huye hain. Society and the country have given them a solid reply. The court’s decision is crystal clear. This is a slap on the faces of those who called it ‘saffron terror’…They called it ‘saffron terror’ and ‘Hindu terror’ earlier too. Maharashtra’s Chavan (Prithviraj Chavan) has spoken on ‘sanatana aatankwaad’, ‘Hindutva aatankwaad’. They are people of the same category. They are all members of Congress,” she said.

Speaking about the court’s decisions, she said that the “Truth has triumphed,” adding that the country has always been with Dharma and truth.

#WATCH | Bhopal, MP: On her ‘Forced to name PM Modi, Yogi Adityanath’ claim, BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur says, “I have said this earlier too that they forced me to take names of tall leaders. I didn’t take those names; I didn’t act as they wanted me to. So, they… pic.twitter.com/BMV4JmB01e

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2025

“Truth has triumphed. Dharma and truth were on our side, so we were bound to win. Satyameva Jayate! I had said this earlier and this has been proven now. Vidharmion ke, deshdrohion ke munh kaale huye hain. They have received a reply. The country has always been with Dharma and truth, and it will always be,” she said.

She further accused Congress of “torturing” Hindus and doing appeasement politics for Muslims when in power.

“Congress people have always adopted appeasement politics for Muslims. They used this in their regime. They tortured Hindus in every manner, jailed them and slapped false cases on them. They called it ‘saffron terror’ and ‘Hindutva terror’. Congress harbours such a petty mindset. This was a conspiracy by Congress, and this qualifies as treason,” she said.

On July 31, Mumbai’s NIA special court on Thursday acquitted all seven accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, of being involved in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, with the court saying that the prosecution failed to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The NIA court has also ordered the Maharashtra government to award Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 compensation to the injured.

A total of 7 people were accused, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhankar Dhar Dwivedi (Shankaracharya) and Sameer Kulkarni.

“All bail bonds of the accused are cancelled and sureties are discharged,” the NIA special court said.

The court had examined 323 prosecution witnesses and eight defence witnesses before pronouncing the verdict. The seven people have been acquitted of all charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and all other charges.

On September 29 2008, six people were killed and 95 others injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle detonated near a mosque in Malegaon City’s Bhikku Chowk. Originally, 11 people were accused in the case; however, the court ultimately framed charges against 7, including former MP Sadhvi Pragya (ANI)