Amid widespread outrage over the BJP’s Bhopal candidate, Pragya Singh Thakur’s derogatory comments about 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare, the Congress on Friday demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ms. Thakur, an accused in the 2013 Malegaon blasts case, claimed at a gathering of party workers on Thursday that Karkare, who was heading the probe into the blasts, was killed because she had cursed him for “torturing” her. The BJP issued a statement later in the day, distancing itself from Ms. Thakur’s comments, saying these were her personal views and she might have made them “due to years of physical and mental torture.”
In the evening, an aide quoted Ms. Thakur as saying at a rally in Berasia, “I felt that the enemies of the country were being benefited from it [my remarks], so I take back my statement and apologise for it.” “Pragya ji said that if her remarks hurt someone, she was sorry for it,” Upma Singh said.
EC seeks report
The Election Commission on Friday sought a report from Bhopal’s Returning Officer on remarks by the BJP’s Bhopal candidate Pragya SIngh Thakur that Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare had died in the 26/11 terror attack because she had cursed him.
At a gathering of BJP workers on Thursday, Ms. Thakur, an accused in the 2013 Malegaon blasts case in which six persons were killed, said Karkare, who was heading the probe, had committed an anti-national act by allegedly falsely implicating her in the case. “It was treason. It was against religion,” she said.
Ms. Thakur alleged that she was tortured during her detention and that she had cursed him. “He tortured me and subjected me to harsh abuse which was unbearable. I told him he will be destroyed. A little over a month later ‘sutak’ (ritual observed after the death of a family member) was going to start ...just over a month later, he was shot dead by terrorists and the inauspicious period ended,” she said.
This is the first time Ms. Thakur has spoke of torture. She had not raised the issue even when she filed for bail.
Demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Ms. Thakur’s remarks were an insult to every soldier who has sacrificed his life for the country while fighting terrorism. “...Apologise to the country and take action against Pragya,” Mr. Surjewala tweeted.
Ms. Thakur is pitched against Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh in Bhopal.
Her comments sparked widespread outrage.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Hemant Karkare gave his life protecting India. He must be treated with respect.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed her comments “disgraceful” saying they showed the “party’s [BJP] true colours”
Communist Party of India’s national secretary D. Raja questioned the timing of Ms. Thakur’s allegation. “He is not there to defend himself. Is this the way to remember a martyr who died fighting terrorists? This exposes the hypocrisy of the BJP which keeps talking about nationalism,” he said.
The IPS Association also criticised the comments. “Ashok Chakra awardee late Sri Hemant Karkare, IPS made the supreme sacrifice fighting terrorists. Those of us in uniform condemn the insulting statement,” the Association said in a tweet.
BJP’s damage control
In its statement distancing itself from Ms. Thakur’s comments, the BJP said it “believes that Karkare died while bravely fighting terrorists. The BJP has always considered him a martyr.”
“What she has said is her personal view, we do not agree with it,” said senior BJP leader Madhav Bhandari.
