Sadhvi pragya biography of william shakespeare

Pragya Singh Thakur

Indian politician

For other people named Sadhvi, see Sadhvi (name).

Pragya Singh Thakur

In office
23 May &#;– 4 June
Preceded byAlok Sanjar
Succeeded byAlok Sharma
ConstituencyBhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Born

Pragya Chandrapal Singh Thakur


() 2 February (age&#;54)[1][2]
Lahar, Bhind, Madhya Pradesh, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Parent(s)Dr. C. P. Singh, Sarla Singh
Residence(s)B , Bungalow, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Known forMember of Parliament, and one of the prime accused in Malegaon blasts
Source: [1]

Pragya Singh Thakur (born 2 February ; Hindi pronunciation:[pɾəgjaːsɪŋgʱʈʰaːkʊɾ]), better known as SadhviPragya (Hindi:[saːd̪ʱ.ʋiːpɾəgjaː]),[3] is an Indian politician and former Member of Parliament who represented Bhopal and belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party. During her college days, she was an active member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and later joined various affiliate organisations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

She is an accused in the Malegaon bombings where 10 people were killed and 82 more were injured. She was arrested on terror charges after her bike was found to be used in the bomb blast. She is currently under trial for multiple charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In she was granted bail on health grounds following the dropping of some of the serious charges by the National Investigation Agency.[4][5]

Thakur contested the Indian general election from Bhopal constituency, running against Digvijaya Singh of the Indian National Congress, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.[1] She won her debut contest by a margin of , votes.[6]

On 21 November Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur was made a part of the member parliamentary consultative committee on defence, which is headed by Defence MinisterRajnath Singh. After her comment in parliament, where she called Nathuram Godse (Gandhi's assassin) a patriot, she was criticised by opposition party members. On 28 November, she was removed from the committee on defence as well as BJP parliamentary party meetings.

Personal life

Thakur was born on 2 February [7] Her father, Chandrapal Singh, was an Ayurvedic practitioner in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh and a worker of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[8] She had been a tomboy since her childhood, keeping her hair short, and dressing like a boy. She was often called 'the girl with boyish looks'.[9] She loved riding bikes. It was a motorcycle registered on her name which led to her arrest in connection with the Malegaon blasts.[10]

Cancer treatment

Cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. S. S. Rajput of the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow said that Thakur underwent a bilateral mastectomy to prevent recurrence of her cancer in , stating he had operated on her three times.[11] She had been operated twice to surgically remove both her breasts to cure her breast cancer.[11] She was criticised for saying that her breast cancer got cured because of using cow urine and Panchagavya.[11][12][13]

Political career

Thakur studied at Lahar College (Bhind), where, in , she joined Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Sangh Parivar. She subsequently rose to the position of state secretary and left this organisation in After that, she worked for Rashtrawadi Sena and the Hindu Jagran Manch. She was also a member of Durga Vahini, women's wing of Hindu organisation Bajrang Dal. She is also a founder member of Vande Mataram Jan Kalyan Samiti, which is an organisation connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and belongs to the Sangh Parivar.[14]

General Elections

Thakur joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on 17 April and was declared as the BJP candidate for Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency for elections.[15][16][17] Thakur was in the news for saying that Mumbai former ATS chief Hemant Karkare died in Mumbai attacks because she cursed him for giving her bad treatment in jail after her arrest in blasts.[18] BJP leader Fatima Rasool Siddique said her communal and obnoxious remarks have tarnished the image of Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Muslims and she will not campaign for Thakur.[19][20]Election Commission of India directed the police to file an FIR against Thakur for her Babri Masjid remark that she participated in demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in [21] The Election Commission later banned her for 72 hours from campaigning for violating the Model Code of Conduct by stirring up communal feelings.[22] She was later criticised by BJP party leaders for saying that the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, Nathuram Godse was and always will be a patriot.[23][24] Nevertheless, Thakur won the election by a margin of , votes defeating opposing candidate Digvijaya Singh, a two-time Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.[25][6]

Parliamentary committee on defence

On 21 November Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has been made a part of the member parliamentary consultative committee on defence, which is headed by Defence MinisterRajnath Singh.[26] After her comment in parliament, where she called Nathuram Godse (Gandhi's assassin) a patriot, she was criticised by opposition party members. On 28 November, she was sacked from the committee on defence as well as BJP parliamentary party meetings.[27]

Malegaon bombings

Following the Malegaon bombings, in which six people were killed and over injured, Thakur was arrested as one of the prime accused in October under terrorism charges.[28]

Arrest and trial

Mumbai's Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) claimed that Thakur formed a group to take revenge for the Mumbai train bombings and that her motorcycle was used in the bomb blast. This motorcycle was a key evidence in the arrest of Thakur.[29]

On 19 January , Maharashtra Police filed a page charge sheet for the Malegaon blasts. According to this charge sheet, Lt Col Prasad Purohit was claimed to be the main conspirator who provided the explosives and Thakur arranged the persons who planted the explosive. It was claimed that on 11 April , Thakur and Purohit met in Bhopal wherein both agreed for co-operation in carrying out the blast.[30] However, the charges framed against the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act were dropped for Thakur in July because Thakur was not proven to be a member of this organised crime syndicate.[31]

Swami Aseemanand in his on-camera confessions named Thakur as one of the key conspirators in the Malegaon, Ajmer Dargah, and Samjhauta Express terror blasts.[32]

Bail pleas

Thakur had challenged the Bombay High court order of 12 March rejecting her plea for bail, contending that her arrest violated the mandate of Article 22(1) and 22(2) of the Constitution and also on the ground that no charge sheet was filed within 90 days as contemplated by Section (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. She contended that she was arrested by the Maharashtra Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) from Surat on 10 October , but was brought before the magistrate on 24 October, and thus was in illegal detention for 14 days which violated Article 22(2). On 23 September , the Supreme Court dismissed the bail plea. Dismissing her plea, the bench of Justice JM Panchal and Justice HL Gokhale said "The appellant's contention that she was arrested on October 10, , and was in police custody since then is found to be factually incorrect by this Court. The appellant was arrested only on October 23, , and within 24 hours thereof, on October 24, , she was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nasik. As such, there is no violation of either Article 22(2) of the Constitution or Section of "[33]

In she also filed an application for bail in the Bombay High Court on health grounds, claiming that she has been diagnosed with third-stage breast cancer. On 9 August , she, however, withdrew her application.[34]

In she again filed an application for bail in the Bombay High Court which was rejected.[35]

In April , she was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on health grounds,[36] following the dropping of charges in under the MCOCA section by the Special National Investigation Agency.[37] She is currently under trial for multiple charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.[38][39][40]

Allegations of torture

Thakur has made, directly or indirectly, several claims about ill-treatment in prison. In August , the Human Rights Commission ordered a probe into Thakur's allegations of torture while in police custody. Subsequently, the case of torture was closed as the panel did not find any evidence to support these claims.[41]

Opinions

In December , while addressing a gathering of Kshatriya Mahasabha Thakur made a controversial remark. She said that Brahmins don't feel bad when called Brahmin, so do Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. But Shudras do not like to be called as Shudra because of ignorance, they are "unable to understand".[42][43]

During the COVID pandemic in , Thakur made public remarks addressing BJP party workers in Bhopal claiming that drinking cow urine helps infected people heal from the effects of the virus. "I consumed cow urine daily and it is a kind of acid which purifies my body. It also purifies the lungs and saves me from COVID infection. I don’t take any medicine against corona but I am safe." The purported benefits of drinking cow urine have no scientific backing.[44][45]

During the Karnataka hijab row defending the ban on hijab, Thakur said that there is "no need to wear hijab anywhere" and that only those who are "not safe in their houses need to wear Hijab". She also said that there is no need to wear a hijab when in the company of the Hindu community, especially at educational institutions.[46]

She also stated her support for Nupur Sharma for the latter's controversial remarks on Muhammad.[47]

See also

References

  1. ^ abVidya (21 April ). "Fact Check: Mehbooba Mufti, senior journalists are wrong on Sadhvi Pragya's age". India Today. Retrieved 21 March
  2. ^"Pragya Thakur notarised affidavit filed with Election commission of India"(PDF). Election Commission of India (in Hindi). Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 April Retrieved 24 April
  3. ^"Who is Sadhvi Pragya?". The Indian Express. 17 April Retrieved 31 May
  4. ^"Malegaon blast case: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Prasad Purohit to face trial for terrorism". Live Mint. 27 December Retrieved 25 February
  5. ^"Malegaon blast case: MCOCA dropped, terror charges remain against Sadhvi Pragya, Lt Col Purohit". Hindustan Times. 27 December Retrieved 25 February
  6. ^ ab"Bhopal Elections Results: Congress flunks crucial MP test, hands over win to Pragya Thakur". The Economic Times. Agencies. 23 May Retrieved 25 July
  7. ^"No, Pragya Thakur Wasn't 4 Years Old During Babri Demolition". The Quint. 22 April
  8. ^": 'My daughter Sadhvi Pragya'". .
  9. ^"How motorbike-riding tomboy became 'Sadhvi' Pragya". The Times of India. 14 May Retrieved 21 April
  10. ^"An aggressive Sadhvi". Sify. Archived from the original on 1 March Retrieved 4 October
  11. ^ abcShelar, Jyoti (26 April ). "Pragya Singh Thakur hailed cow urine, but opted for 'surgical treatment' for cancer". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 April
  12. ^"Sadhvi Pragya Says Cow Urine Cures Cancer. Here's a Fact Check". Quint FIT. 23 April
  13. ^Mishra, Lata (25 April ). "Tata Memorial doctors slam BJP Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's claim that cow urine can cure Cancer". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 21 March
  14. ^"India's Independent Weekly News Magazine". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 8 March Retrieved 4 October
  15. ^Dutta, Anup (17 April ). "Malegaon blasts accused Sadhvi Pragya to take on Digvijaya in Bhopal". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 April
  16. ^"Sadhvi Pragya healthy to contest polls but not to attend hearings". India Today. 19 April Retrieved 20 April
  17. ^"Elections Sadhvi Pragya, Malegaon Blast Accused, Will Take on Digvijaya Singh". NDTV. 17 April Retrieved 20 April
  18. ^"Hemant Karkare does not need a certificate from Sadhvi who cursed him". 23 April
  19. ^"'Pragya Thakur's Comments Communal & Obnoxious': BJP's Muslim Face in Bhopal Won't Campaign for Her". News18. 25 April
  20. ^"Lok Sabha Polls - "Can't Work With Pragya Thakur Unless She Apologises": Muslim BJP Leader". .
  21. ^"EC directs police to file FIR against Pragya Singh Thakur over Babri Masjid demolition remark, alleges poll code violation". Firstpost. PTI. 22 April Retrieved 28 July
  22. ^"After political row, EC bans Pragya for 72 hours". The Hindu. 2 May Retrieved 2 May
  23. ^"Pragya Sadhvi: 'Party line is my line,' says Pragya Thakur after BJP condemns her 'Godse is a patriot' remark &#; - Times of India". The Times of India. 16 May Retrieved 28 November
  24. ^"Election "It Is Sedition": Digvijaya Singh Points To Pragya Thakur's Godse Remark". . Retrieved 28 November
  25. ^Trivedi, Vivek (24 May ). "Pragya Thakur Gets Hero's Welcome at MP BJP Office After Winning Bhopal, Shivraj Not in Attendance". News18. Retrieved 27 February
  26. ^"Pragya Singh Thakur made part of Rajnath Singh-led defence ministry panel". India Today. 21 November
  27. ^"BJP Condemns Pragya Thakur's Godse Remark, Drops Her From Defence Panel". . Retrieved 28 November
  28. ^"Explained: The case against BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Thakur". 20 April Retrieved 4 May
  29. ^Sadhvi's passion for motorcycles led to her arrest (27 October ). "Sadhvi's passion for motorcycles led to her arrest". Retrieved 4 October
  30. ^"Malegaon blast chargesheet: Purohit is main conspirator". 20 January Retrieved 4 October
  31. ^Malegaon case: MCOCA charge against Sadhvi, Purohit dropped Rediff - 31 July
  32. ^"Ajmer blast carried out to deter Hindus from visiting dargah". The Hindu. 10 January &#; via
  33. ^Correspondent, Legal (23 September ). "Sadhvi's bail plea fails". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 May
  34. ^"Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur withdraws bail petition - Indian Express". . 10 August Retrieved 16 May
  35. ^Staff Reporter (4 April ). "HC denies bail to Sadhvi Pragya in Malegaon blast case". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 May
  36. ^"Sadhvi Pragya 'suffering from breast cancer', 'can't walk': bail order in focus as BJP fields Malegaon blast-accused from Bhopal". Firstpost. 18 April Retrieved 16 May
  37. ^"Sadhvi Pragya Thakur: Cherry-picking innocence, Hindutva style". 21 April
  38. ^Tiwary, Deeptiman (20 April ). "Explained: The case against BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Thakur". The Indian Express. Retrieved 21 April
  39. ^"Malegaon blast case: Court allows exemption to Pragya Thakur as a 'last chance'". The Indian Express. 20 April Retrieved 21 April
  40. ^"Mumbai: Court Grants BJP MP Pragya Thakur Extension Citing Health Reasons In Malegaon Blast Case". Free Press Journal. 21 April Retrieved 21 April
  41. ^Hakim, Sharmeen (20 April ). "Rights panel had found no proof of Sadhvi's 'torture in custody'". Pune Mirror. Retrieved 28 July
  42. ^"Brahmins don't take offence when caste called, why do 'shudras', says Pragya Thakur". Indian Express. 14 December Retrieved 13 December
  43. ^"Shudras feel bad on being called shudras': BJP MP Pragya Thakur courts controversy with caste remarks". India Today. 13 December Retrieved 13 December
  44. ^"Drink cow urine to prevent Covid: BJP MP Pragya Thakur; experts reject remark". Hindustan Times. 18 May Retrieved 25 May
  45. ^"Cow dung cocktails: why India can't get enough of quack Covid 'cures'". South China Morning Post. 21 May Retrieved 25 May
  46. ^Jaiswal, Priya (17 February ). "Hijab controversy: Those unsafe in their own houses, wear hijab, says Pragya Thakur | VIDEO". India TV News. Retrieved 22 March
  47. ^"BJP MP Pragya Thakur Extends Support to Nupur Sharma For Remarks on Prophet". The Wire. 10 June Retrieved 28 July

External links