Author: Vaidehi Sachin
Publication: Afternoon
Date: November 1, 2008
There is a chance that the extensive efforts
of the Mumbai Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) may amount to nought.
If sources are to be believed, the tests have drawn a blank.
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's family is now
considering approaching the State. Human Rights Commission to demand enquiry
against the ATS. It is felt that the ATS has been rather hasty, and-has been
-picking up people on mere suspicion, rather than established evidence. There
is also a likelihood that some of the statements already recorded have been
acquired under duress or even torture while she-was in police custody. There
was no circumstantial evidence available to implicate her in the case.
Yesterday, the ATS took Sadhvi, who is currently
the main accused in the Malegaon blast case, to the Forensic Science Laboratory
(FSL) in Santa Cruz, where she was made to undergo brain-mapping, polygraph
and lie detector tests; ATS officer Hemant Karkare told this paper.
The Nashik Court had permitted Mumbai ATS
to conduct these psychological tests on the sadhvi, because she kept changing
her statements frequently during interrogations.
Meanwhile, Pradnya's brother-in-law Bhagwan
Jha has alleged that ATS officials had physically tortured her and he is planning
to approach the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in this regard: Jha further
said; "we will· first move the Human Rights Commission and then
then Bombay High Court demanding an inquiry to be set-up in this matter as
Pradnya is being falsely implicated in this case."
Pragya, a former ABVP office-bearer, was picked
up by the ATS from Surat in connection with the Malegaon blast on September
29.
A senior political source said, "This
blast case is being used by the Congress mainly for election purposes, since
elections are to be held in the north Indian states next month. The issue
will be used to embarrass the BJP. The BJP has always remained firm on its
stand for the non-appeasement of minorities and has opted for issues concerning
development."