Agartala, August 02, 2025: Reacting to the recent court ruling in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Tripura BJP state vice-president Papia Datta on Saturday said the judgment has refuted a 17-year-old narrative of “traditional terrorism” allegedly used for vote-bank politics.

Speaking at a press conference in Agartala on Saturday morning, Datta referred to the July 31 acquittal of seven accused, including BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and former Army officer Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, by a special NIA court in Mumbai. “For 17 years, this country has suffered under the burden of fabricated narratives. Two days ago, the court has exposed the truth,” she said.

Datta recounted the incident that took place on the night of September 29, 2008, when two bombs planted on a motorcycle exploded in Malegaon, Nashik district, killing seven people. “The vehicle was said to be registered in Pragya Thakur’s name and based on that, the entire case was built,” she said.

Quoting the court verdict, she added, “The forensic reports did not confirm that the motorcycle belonged to Pragya. In fact, the court acknowledged that she had embraced sainthood two years before the blast, and there was no evidence of her involvement.”

Accusing the Congress party of political vendetta, Datta alleged, “It was a conspiracy staged for vote-bank politics. They targeted nationalists like Pragya and Lt. Col. Purohit to push a narrative of ‘saffron terror’. But justice has finally prevailed.”

Calling the verdict a “moment of relief for every Sanatani,” she said the acquittal has reaffirmed the faith of the people in the judiciary.