Patna, April 26: Yoga guru Ramdev on Friday defended Pragya Singh Thakur, a key accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, calling her a "nationalist". Ramdev alleged Pragya Singh Thakur was arrested on the basis of mere suspicion and tortured in jail for nine years as if she were a terrorist. He also said it was mental and physical torture that caused her cancer. Thakur is Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat.

"It was gunaah ki parakashtha (the height of atrocity). You arrest a person just on the basis of mere suspicion and make her undergo physical and mental torture for nine years. The stress that she had to endure weakened her physically and she got afflicted with cancer. She is not a terrorist but a nationalist lady," Ramdev told reporters in Patna. Won't Campaign For Pragya Singh Thakur, Says BJP's Muslim Face in Madhya Pradesh.

Ramdev arrived in Bihar to accompany Ravi Shankar Prasad while the union minister filed nomination for Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency. Asked about his comment on Thakur's that former Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare was killed in the 26/11 attack because of her “curse”, the Yoga guru said people should understand her pain. "We should show some empathy for the woman and try to understand her ordeal," he said. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur Seen Dancing on a Sindhi Song in Bhopal With Other Women, Watch Video.

Thakur is pitted against Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh in the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, which the BJP has been winning since 1989. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah also defended Thakur's candidature. On Wednesday, a special NIA court turned down the application filed by the father of a man victim of the 2008 Malegaon terror blast seeking to bar her from contesting the ongoing elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 26, 2019 10:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).