Licentious advances led to RSS worker Sunil Joshi’s killing: National Investigation Agency

NEW DELHI: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, one of the prime accused in 2008 Malegaon blast case, had congratulated right-wing terrorists Lokesh Sharma and Rajender Chaudhary – who treated her as an elder sister – for killing RSS worker Sunil Joshi in 2007 after he made “licentious advances” towards her, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said in a 12-page charge sheet.

The charge sheet submitted recently, which was accessed by ET, presents a picture of a bitter divide within the right-wing extremist group which is said to be behind a series of bombings between 2006 and 2008.

The NIA has accused Thakur, who is incarcerated in jail despite suffering a serious illness, of being part of the conspiracy to kill Joshi and even confining a key witness for almost six days in her flat to ensure he does not spill the beans to the police. Joshi was shot dead in Dewas in Madhya Pradesh on December 29, 2007.

“Sharma and Chaudhary were close associates of Pragya Singh and used to treat her as their elder sister. In 2006, differences developed between Joshi and Pragya due to the licentious advances made by Joshi towards her. This incident greatly annoyed other associates and followers of Sunil Joshi including Sharma, who further shared his annoyance with Chaudhary,” says the charge sheet. It further says that Sharma and Chaudhary met Pragya Singh a couple of days after the murder.

“She had congratulated them for the task carried out,” the NIA has said. The agency has also accused her of visiting the hospital where Joshi was rushed as well as his house on the night of the murder to take away his mobile phone and a briefcase. “The briefcase was later taken away by accused Ramji Kalsangra. However, due to long lapse of time, neither the said briefcase could be traced nor its ownership or contents independently verified during investigation,” the NIA has said.

According to the charge sheet, Pragya Singh confined a key witness named Anandraj Kataria at her flat for almost six days after the murder as she felt he was “immature and if questioned by police, he may reveal about earlier criminal acts carried out by Joshi and herself, as Kataria had been closely associated with her as well as Sunil Joshi”.