Inquiry into Pragya torture allegation, NSA tells Advani

New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan Friday assured senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani of an inquiry into the torture allegations of Sadhvi Pragnya Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon bombing, the party said.

Narayanan, along with Intelligence Bureau chief P.C. Halder, called on Advani at his residence at 4 p.m. with all the evidence that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) investigating the Sep 29 Malegaon terror blast had to implicate the Sadhvi and others. The meeting took place for 40 minutes.

'L.K. Advani heard them patiently and reiterated his demand made to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday for a judicial inquiry into Pragya Singh's charges that the ATS tortured her in custody,' national BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters.

Rudy said, 'Advaniji told the NSA and the director of the IB that his reaction to the Pragya Singh episode was confined to her allegations in the affidavit that she was subjected to physical and mental agony.'

Advani, in his address at The Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, said: 'I met the National Security Adviser and we spent quite some time. He apprised me of the case and said the affidavit was being looked into.'