Sadhvi Pragya Singh says she 'cursed' Hemant Karkare: IPS Association condemns 'insulting' statement, calls for respecting the dead

The IPS Association, in a statement on Friday, deplored the statement made by BJP’s candidate for Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur that senior police officer Hemant Karkare had died because he had been “cursed” due to his investigation into the 2008 Malegaon blast case. The IPS Association’s statement, however, did not mention Thakur by name.

Ashok Chakra awardee late Sri Hemant Karkare, IPS made the supreme sacrifice fighting terrorists. Those of us in uniform condemn the insulting statement made by a candidate and demand that sacrifices of all our martyrs be respected.

— IPS Association (@IPS_Association) April 19, 2019

Hemant Karkare was the chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

The statement by the association adds to the condemnation pouring in from various quarters over Thakur’s statement about Karkare, who was killed in an ambush during the 26 November, 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Earlier in the day, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Thakur’s comment reveals the “anti-national face of the BJP”. He added, “When Mumbai was under attack, Karkare didn’t know if he would ever return home. All he knew was that he would not let a Pakistani terrorist devastate the financial capital. We can never forget his contribution in arresting terrorist Ajmal Kasab.”

Delhi chief minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal also castigated the remarks, saying, “Disgraceful comments by BJP’s Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Thakur on 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare ji need to be condemned in the strongest terms. The BJP is showing its true colours and it must be shown its place now.”

The BJP has distanced itself from Thakur’s statement, but has not yet condemned it. Party spokesperson Nalin Kohli was quoted by ANI as saying, “(We) respect every son and daughter of India who sacrificed their lives for our motherland. What Pragya_ji_ has said, that would evidently be her point of view, perhaps because she herself underwent an investigation. We salute the sacrifice of Karkare_ji_ and won’t do politics on it.”