Pragya Singh Thakur

An ABVP activist during her college days, Sadhvi Pragya had an affinity with the Hindu right-wing since her childhood. Her father, Chandrapal Singh Thakur, was actively involved with the RSS.

Belonging to the Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh, Pragya has even campaigned for the BJP in the state. She was arrested in 2009 in connection with the Malegaon blast case. Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. The blast was allegedly carried by right-wing outfit Abhinav Bharat.

After nine years in jail, Sadhvi Pragya was given a clean chit by the NIA in 2015. This was months after special public prosecutor Rohini Salian told The Indian Express that the NIA had put pressure on her to go slow in the case. The court, however, rejected the NIA’s views on Thakur and arraigned her as an accused under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Thakur has run into trouble with her party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the past over her controversial remarks. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, after the party fielded her from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, compared Ashok Chakra awardee and former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare with Ravan and Kans and said he was killed during 26/11 Mumbai attacks because he was cursed for arresting her in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blasts case. In a public meeting, Thakur said she had warned Karkare that he would be destroyed and that is exactly what happened.

In 2024, she entered the list of the sitting MPs who were denied tickets for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.