BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal, facing trial in the Malegaon bomb blasts case, on Thursday broke down while narrating how she was “tortured” in police custody.
Pragya, 48, also set the tone for her high-profile poll battle in Bhopal against Congress candidate Digvijaya Singh, whom she accused of using words like “Hindu” and “saffron” terror.
Out on bail, the saffron activist has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in the 2008 case, but is still facing trial under other criminal provisions, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Addressing a gathering of BJP workers here, Pragya, who spent several years in jail after being arrested in the case, alleged she was illegally detained and beaten up by police personnel.
The Hindutva activist claimed the police wanted her to admit that she was involved in the blast in Malegaon, a town in Nashik district of neighbouring Maharashtra.
She termed her poll battle in Bhopal as a “dharmyuddh” (religious war).
Reacting to her statements, State Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said she narrated her ordeal with an eye on the polls.
