I was illegally detained, tortured to name PM Modi, others by Mumbai ATS: Pragya
Pragya Thakur, who was recently acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, while talking to reporters in Bhopal alleged that she was illegally detained and tortured for refusing to name senior BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders.
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During her interrogation, Thakur claimed she was pressured to implicate prominent figures including RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indresh Kumar, and former BJP leader Ram Madhav. "They told me to say these leaders told me to do it. I refused—and that's why they tortured me," she said.
The Bhopal MP further alleged that she was held illegally for 13 days, remained in police custody for 24 days, and was subjected to physical and mental harassment by ATS officers, including male personnel.
"They crossed all limits. Every law was broken," Thakur added.
She accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) govt of misusing investigative agencies to "create fear" and categorise Hindutva as terrorism. "The entire ecosystem was used to demonise Hindus, saints, and even the armed forces. They tried to erase our identity," she said.
Without directly naming Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh, she remarked, "That man is not worth naming.
Whoever takes his name in the morning will have a bad day."
She also referred to co-accused individuals who allegedly died under suspicious circumstances. "One woman still doesn't know if she's a widow. That's the extent to which they went," she stated.
"The court has now said those who presented false evidence must be investigated. I'm confident they will be punished," Thakur concluded, adding, "We work for rashtra neeti, not rajneeti."
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Blank pages in textbooks: On March 8, 2023, the government announced the inclusion of blank pages after every chapter in textbooks prepared by Balbharti for the state board curriculum for classes 2-8, as an alternative to carrying nortebooks separately. The reason: it will reduce the weight of school bags. Triggering backlash, with students carrying the textbooks and notebooks to school, the move was in place for only one academic year – 2024-25 – and was rolled back on January 28. Caste on HSC exam hall ticket: The state board printed caste categories on hall tickets, issued on January 11, for the Higher Secondary Certificate exam. Following sharp criticism from social groups, the board expressed regret and issued a new order on January 18 withdrawing the hall tickets and issuing new ones on January 23. 10% EWS quota in private medical colleges: On July 23, the information brochure for state medical admissions, released by the CET Cell, listed a 10 percent EWS (Economically Weaker Section) reservation. Aspirants, their parents and colleges wrote to the Minister that implementing the quota without increasing seat intake would reduce the slots available under the general pool. On July 30, a day after a delegation of parents met the Minister, the move was withdrawn through a notification stating that the quota would be implemented only if additional intake is approved. Vasant Kalpande, a former Director of Education in the state, blamed the disconnect between decision-making and implementation on a 'lack of dialogue in educational governance'. 'The current top-down approach is detrimental to effective policy-making in a state as diverse as Maharashtra. Effective governance hinges on dialogue with stakeholders, empathy, and sensitivity. With varying needs among students and teachers, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot work,' he said. Basanti Roy, who served over 30 years in the state's education department, stressed the importance of piloting new initiatives to identify challenges and assess impact before scaling them. Without this, she warned, 'reversals become inevitable'. 'In the rush to innovate, we are neglecting due diligence,' she said. Can't be seamless always: Minister When contacted, Kesarkar, under whose tenure the decisions related to blank pages, uniforms and sweet dish were made, described them as 'student-centric'. 'The process of decision-making involved thorough consultation with stakeholders concerned. There could have been certain challenges in its implementation at the ground level. But those could have been resolved by applying corrective measures which could have shown benefits of these decisions in the coming years,' he said. Bhuse, the current minister, said education policies are shaped after careful evaluation. 'All policy decisions taken by the School Education Department are made with the best interests of our key stakeholders — students, parents, teachers, and schools — in mind. When feedback indicates the need for adjustments, those are duly considered and incorporated. However, that does not imply the original decisions were flawed.' Citing an example, he said, 'The initiative to provide high-quality uniforms to government school students was launched with the right intent, but challenges in large-scale implementation required modifications in the process.' Pointing to 'successful' decisions, Bhuse said, 'Take the example of the 'Copy-Free Exam' campaign during the state board examinations. It may not have completely eradicated malpractice, but it significantly curbed it by raising awareness. Another example is the extension of the centralised online admission process for Class 11 across the state. Although it had initial challenges, as expected in its first year, it has ensured that lakhs of students receive equal opportunities to secure admission to colleges of their choice.' Noting that no decision would be perfect for all, he said, 'I come from a rural background but I am equally familiar with urban realities. This dual perspective helps me understand the diverse needs of our education system. We must accept that not everything can be seamless all the time — there's no one-size-fits-all solution in public policy.'
