Sister wants to meet sadhvi, but ‘jail rules’ don’t let her

Authorities say she cannot be let in without permission of the ATS

While sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is being subjected to brain-mapping, polygraph and narco-analysis tests by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) after being arrested for her alleged role in the Malegaon blast, her sister Pratibha Jha, 30, has been waiting patiently to meet her.

Jha and her husband, Bhagwan came to Mumbai from Surat on Wednesday afternoon.
The couple has been waiting to meet Thakur, who is currently in judicial custody and has been lodged in Byculla prison.

“The jail authorities insist that we need to seek permission from the ATS for the meeting,” said advocate Naveen Chomal, the sadhvi’s lawyer.

 This is the first time that any relatives have come to meet Pragya after her arrest on October 25.

“The sadhvi’s sister is being harassed by the jail authorities. According to the law, there is no need to seek permission from the investigating authorities,” said Chomal.
However, since it is a sensitive and a high-profile case, jail authorities said they were being cautious and therefore requested a permission letter from the ATS.

“We need to be sure of the identity of the people who come to the meet the sadhvi,” said Sudhir Kingre, Byculla jail superintendent.

Jail authorities said anybody could play mischief in the guise of being a relative.

“We are strictly following the procedure,” said a senior jail official.

Thakur, a former Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) office-bearer, was picked up from Surat for her alleged role in the blast.
s_poornima@dnaindia.net