Poonam Sharma
From Investigation to Invention: The Origin of the “Hindu Terror” Plot
In 2008, there was the Malegaon blast case that shook the nation. Yet even before any incriminating proof was studied, a story had been built: Hindu radicals were behind the bomb. The arrest of figures such as Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a saffron-clad hermit, and Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit, an Army officer with nationalist credentials, was the perfect “counter-terror” tale.
The phrase “Hindu terror” was coined in political circles and subsequently magnified by parts of the media. Sadhvi Pragya’s motorcycle registered and Purohit’s military intelligence background were brought together to construct a larger narrative — one not of justice, but of ideological revenge.
The investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) now facing the court of law seems to be more an out-and-out political theatre than a police exercise. Major shortcomings were:
No tangible evidence linking Sadhvi Pragya with the act of terror.
Col. Purohit was jailed for years without the kind of proof needed.
Witnesses reportedly coerced, confessions elicited under pressure.
Forensic reports and timelines showing contradictions.
Most appalling, the ATS appeared set on proving a pre-drafted script and not adhering to facts. The case was more about establishing a theory — the prevalence of “Hindu terror.”
What the Courts Finally Exposed
More than a decade later, courts started unraveling the poor ground of the case. Important observations were:
No significant connection between any of the accused and the bomb blast.
No evidence of conspiracy meetings or planned coordination, traceable.
Cited “terror funding” financial transactions were established as insurance policies and unrelated payments.
The suspect motorcycle was not established to have belonged to Sadhvi Pragya at the time of the blast.
The court bluntly declared that not only was the investigation weak — it was biased ideologically. The evidence did not support the charges. Basically, the prosecution lacked foundation.
Whom Did the “Hindu Terror” Theory Benefit?
The Congress party in power under the UPA did not hide its employment of the “Hindu terror” tag. The aim was political: to get rid of charges of appeasement, to counterbalance growing fears about Islamic extremism, and to dethrone nationalist discourses.
But in the process, innocent lives were wrecked. Careers were ruined, reputations sullied, and religious polarization increased — all for a vote-bank political agenda. Instead of fighting terrorism, the system was employed to create a counter-narrative that slandered a religious identity.
The Real Victims: Justice, Reputation, and Rule of Law
Sadhvi Pragya and Col. Purohit spent years in prison. Their families bore the brunt of societal shame. Media trials vilified them long before legal processes could conclude. Now, with the court finding no proof against them, an obvious question arises — who pays for the lost years?
Shouldn’t the officials responsible for this campaign of false allegations be investigated? Shouldn’t Congress apologize for misusing terror laws to defame political rivals? Or will this case, like so many others, pass into selective silence?
Time for a Reverse Investigation?
With the judicial process having torn apart the prosecution narrative, the call mounts for a reverse investigation — not against the accused, but against the accusers.
Who ordered the case to be framed this way?
Why did the ATS turn a blind eye to glaring gaps in evidence?
Who in the political or bureaucratic process stood to gain from keeping this story alive for decades?
A democracy cannot tolerate agencies being used for ideological vendettas. Accountability has to go beyond the accused — it has to go beyond those who abused their power.
When Narratives Trump Truth, Justice Dies
The Malegaon case remains today a dark reminder of what occurs when politics creeps into prosecution. The “Hindu terror” narrative, which was propagated in such aggressive terms, has imploded under its own deceptions. All that’s left is a cautionary tale — that in the struggle to seem secular, the country should never slide into selective demonization.
Justice has to be blind — not color-coded. And those who constructed this lie have to be held to the same standard they used to destroy others.
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