- 2 months ago
A special NIA court acquitted all seven accused, including Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, in the 2008 Malegaon blast case after 17 years.
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00:00Hello and welcome. You're watching India Today Explains. I'm Akshita Nandagopal.
00:12And over the next 30 minutes, I'll break down some of the week's biggest stories for you.
00:16We begin with the Malagao blast case, where all seven accused have been acquitted.
00:20What was this case about? Why did the court grant them a clean sheet?
00:24I'll break that all down to you.
00:25We'll also next turn to the 25% tariff imposed by Donald Trump on Indian goods, along with an added penalty.
00:33But what exactly are tariffs? And how will this decision actually affect India?
00:38Also on the show, the big Sindhu debate in Parliament.
00:41The BJP referred to the 2009 Sharm El Sheikh statement, a move the Modi government calls a diplomatic blunder.
00:48What was said back then and why does it still matter?
00:51We'll also update you on Namesha Priya, the Kerala nurse facing a death sentence in Yemen and the ongoing efforts to save her.
00:59And finally, we'll look at the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and how the world is reacting to the worsening famine-like conditions.
01:07Let's get started.
01:07Seven accused in the Malagao blast case, including Leftnint Colonel Prasad Purohid and Sadvi Pragya Thakur Singh, were acquitted this week by an NIA court in Mumbai,
01:22bringing an end for now to a 17-year investigation against them.
01:26But what exactly is the Malagao blast case?
01:29What were the charges against the accused?
01:31Let's break it all down for you.
01:32Let's take you back to 2008, when a blast took place in Maharashtra's Malagao in a Muslim-dominated area.
01:39This happened on 29 September 2008, when two bombs fitted on a motorcycle exploded.
01:46Six people died, over a hundred were injured.
01:49Initially investigated by the local police, the case was handed to the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad.
01:54And under celebrated Corp Hemant Karkare, in a month, two high-profile arrests were made.
02:01That of Sadvi Pragya Singh Thakur and Leftnint Colonel Prasad Purohid.
02:05Why?
02:06Let's take that one after another.
02:08First, Sadvi Pragya Singh Thakur.
02:10The motorcycle that was used in the blast, an LML Freedia bike, was actually registered in Pragya's name.
02:16The bike was abandoned at the blast site.
02:18And his registration number and chassis were partially intact, linking it directly to her.
02:23Though she claimed it had been sold long ago, the AT is maintained there was no proper documentation to prove this.
02:31The AT is also alleged that Pragya was present at key planning meetings of a group,
03:01called Abhinav Bharat, allegedly aimed at establishing a Hindu rashtra.
03:05This is what the AT has said.
03:07So she was accused of inciting radical views and encouraging attacks on Muslims, especially in response to Islamic terror.
03:14What about Leftnint Colonel Purohid?
03:16Well, Purohid was accused by the anti-terror squad of arranging the RDX for the blast.
03:22The charge was that he sourced explosives through his military network and diverted them from army stock.
03:29According to the ATS, phone records, messages, audio recordings indicated that he was in contact with other accused and, according to them, discussed arms training, bomb making and ideological goals.
03:41He was also accused of conspiring to create a parallel political structure based on Hindu nationalism.
03:47So besides Sadvi Pragya and Leftnint Colonel Purohid, the other accused were Swami Dayanand Pandey, a retired army major, Ramesh Upadhyay, Samir Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar and Sudhakar Chaturvedi.
03:59It was in 2009 that ATS filed its first charge sheet, naming 11 accused, linking them to that group Abhinav Bharat that I spoke of and alleging a conspiracy to establish a Hindu-centric polity called Aryavarta.
04:13It was in 2011 that the case was transferred then to the National Investigation Agency.
04:19In May 2016, the NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet, stripping away Makoka charges and accusing ATS of planting evidence and coercing witnesses.
04:28Makoka is anti-terror charges.
04:30The agency re-recorded many statements, some contradictory to the anti-terror squad's findings.
04:37And all of that has now culminated in seven accused being acquitted in 2025.
04:42I am extremely grateful to the country and all those who stood by me and by us.
04:48I am grateful to the judiciary for understanding the case and delivering justice to all of us.
04:59Now, with these equities, the case has taken a hugely political turn, with the BJP saying the saffron terror bogey was manufactured by the Congress.
05:07But questions also loom on who then is actually guilty of carrying out this blast.
05:12Citing high import duties and what he calls obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers,
05:22U.S. President Donald Trump announced a steep 25% tariff on Indian goods.
05:28But that's not all.
05:29He's also announced an additional penalty, blaming India's continued reliance on Russian military hardware and energy imports.
05:36Donald Trump is mincing no words when it comes to India and Russia.
05:39Prime Minister Modi is a friend of mine, but they don't do very much business in terms of business with us.
05:46They sell a lot to us, but we don't buy from them.
05:49You know why?
05:49Because the tariff is so high.
05:50They have one of the highest tariffs in the world.
05:53Now they're willing to cut it very substantially.
05:55But we'll see what happens.
05:56We're talking to India now.
05:57We'll see what happens.
05:58In a fiery truth social post, Trump criticized India for imposing some of the highest tariffs globally
06:08while continuing to purchase weapons and oil from Russia,
06:12despite international calls, according to him, to end the war in Ukraine.
06:16He's frequently taken aim at India over trade issues, famously dubbing India as the tariff king.
06:22Countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them.
06:28It's very unfair.
06:30India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100%.
06:35Before we get into the details, let's break it down for you and explain what exactly is a tariff.
06:41Tariff essentially is tax on imported goods.
06:44It's a tax that a government puts on goods that come from another country.
06:47Tariffs are typically charged as a percentage of the price that a buyer pays a foreign seller.
06:53So, for example, a 25% tariff on a $10 product would mean an additional $2.5 charge.
07:00So, why are these tariffs charged?
07:02Well, by raising the price of imports, tariffs can protect homegrown manufacturers.
07:08Governments may impose tariffs for several reasons.
07:10To raise revenues, to protect domestic industries, to protect domestic consumers
07:14and also to protect national interests.
07:19Tariffs can hurt foreign countries by making their products pricier and harder to sell abroad.
07:28Foreign companies might have to cut prices, sacrifice profits to actually offset the tariffs
07:34and try to maintain their market share.
07:37Now, the immediate economic impact of the tariffs is likely to be sharp and sector-specific.
07:42Automobiles, auto parts, steel, aluminium, smartphones, electronics, marine products, gems, jewellery,
07:50several food categories.
07:51They'll all bear the brunt of the 25% import duty.
07:59The tariff move also comes against the backdrop of a persistent trade imbalance between India and America.
08:06Bilateral trade between the two nations touched around $130 billion in 2024.
08:10So, in 2024, the U.S. imported approximately $87.4 billion worth of goods from India.
08:18India's imports from the U.S., on the other hand, stood at around $41.8 billion,
08:22leaving Washington with a trade deficit of $45.7 billion.
08:27So, what's happening with the trade deal?
08:30Well, over the last month, Trump has also concluded deals with the U.K., Indonesia,
08:34the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and the European Union.
08:38India and America have held several rounds of negotiations for a trade deal over the past few months.
08:44Five rounds of talks have taken place.
08:46A sixth round is slated to take place in August end,
08:49when a U.S. team will actually be visiting India.
08:52Experts expect some respite once the two countries thrash out a comprehensive trade agreement.
08:57Attacking the Congress during the debate on Operation Sindur,
09:05both Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S.J. Shankar
09:10referred to the 2009 Sharmil Shaikh joint statement by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
09:16with his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Razagilani.
09:19Which one of you imagined that Bhawalpur and Muridke would be brought to you?
09:49We brought down the way it was.
09:50Which one of you thought that?
09:52When did you even think of it during your tenure?
09:55Did it even cross your mind?
09:56In fact, on the contrary, you ruled it out after 26-11.
10:00Long considered one of the most contentious chapters in India's post-26-11 diplomacy,
10:06the 2009 summit is back in the spotlight.
10:09But what exactly is the Sharmil Shaikh statement and its reference to Balochistan
10:13that's considered a blunder by the Manmohan-led UPA government?
10:16Well, the Sharmil Shaikh meeting took place on the sidelines of the non-aligned movement summit in July 2009,
10:24essentially eight months after the 26-11 Mumbai attacks.
10:28So then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Razagilani
10:33held discussions that led to the issuance of a joint statement,
10:37a document that became one of the most controversial diplomatic texts in India's recent history.
10:43The statement released by the MEA on July 16, 2009,
10:48declared terrorism the main threat to both countries.
10:52It further said that, and I quote here,
10:55both Prime Ministers recognize that dialogue is the only way forward.
10:59Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process
11:03and they should not be bracketed.
11:06Prime Minister Singh said that India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan,
11:10including all outstanding issues.
11:12That's the statement.
11:14This effectively de-linked dialogue from Pakistan's progress on curbing terror,
11:18a shift from India's post-2611 stance
11:21that talks could only proceed after credible action against perpetrators.
11:26While the above points that I refer to in itself were controversial,
11:30Gilani's mention of Balochistan, recorded in the statement,
11:33added fuel to the fire.
11:34Prime Minister Gilani mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas.
11:42This is what the joint statement said.
11:45It provided Islamabad with an opening to publicly accuse India of meddling in its insurgency-plagued province.
11:52Not just Balochistan, the inclusion of other areas in this joint statement
11:56gave room to Pakistan to spread its false narrative on India-backing insurgents elsewhere too.
12:01And hence, no one was surprised when the first thing Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani did
12:07on his return to Islamabad from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt
12:10was to accuse India of interference in Balochistan,
12:14a claim India denied, but one that added to the political backlash.
12:18The government suffers from the Sharm el-Sheikh syndrome.
12:46where it commits itself to a written word
12:51and its understanding of the written word is directly to the contrary.
12:56At that point, the government on the back foot offered a bleak explanation.
13:18So, what exactly is the Balochistan issue?
13:21Why does Pakistan blame India for it?
13:24So, the conflict in Balochistan is one of the most serious strifes that Pakistan has seen.
13:28It dates back to the early 1970s when a national movement arose in Balochistan,
13:34fighting for an independent Baloch state.
13:36It was rooted in the perceived discrimination against the Baloch people
13:40in education, employment and development by the Punjabi elite which runs Pakistan.
13:45This is the largest and yet least populated province.
13:50It's rich in natural resources such as natural gas, coal, gold and copper
13:54but remains highly impoverished.
13:5670% of its population is classified as poor.
14:00The people of Baloch therefore have been fighting against the Pakistani government
14:04saying they want greater autonomy and in most cases complete independence.
14:09India of course has always maintained that it has no role in the rebellion in Balochistan
14:14which is led by nationalistic Baloch people.
14:17They are poor despite Islamabad using resources from their land.
14:21While explaining the joint statement that had happened in 2009,
14:25Manmohan Singh claimed that India was doing nothing in Balochistan,
14:29that India's conduct was an open book and that he was not afraid of discussing anything.
14:33Sharm el-Sheikh therefore became shorthand for cardinal diplomatic error
14:37and over one and a half decades later, it's still haunting the Congress.
14:46It's a sustained campaign underway to save Nimesha Priya, a Kerala nurse who's on death row.
14:52While there have been efforts by the government,
14:54private groups in Kerala too have been doing everything they can to save Nimesha.
14:58So let's tell you all about the case against Nimesha
15:00and where her death sentence stands currently.
15:03Nimesha Priya is currently facing execution in Yemen.
15:06After she was convicted for murder of a Yemeni citizen.
15:10Let's tell you what happened.
15:11Nimesha had moved to Sana, which is the capital of Yemen, in 2008 for work.
15:16As a nurse, she worked at a government hospital
15:18and then years later in 2015,
15:20she opened her own clinic with a local partner,
15:23Talal Abdu Mehdi.
15:25Remember this name.
15:26The partnership with Talal Sord.
15:28He allegedly abused her, forged documents,
15:30confiscated a passport and controlled income that came in from the clinic.
15:34And so in July 2017,
15:36Nimesha, in a bid to actually retrieve her passport,
15:39injected him with sedatives.
15:41It was an overdose.
15:43He died.
15:43Nimesha, then in a bid to cover all trace of the murder,
15:46took the help of a local to hide his body.
15:49The victim's body was found dismembered in a water tank.
15:52Nimesha was arrested while attempting to flee from Yemen a month later.
15:57Now, because Nimesha killed a Yemeni national,
15:59she's been convicted for it and she was handed a death sentence.
16:02A Yemeni court first convicted her in 2018
16:05and then in 2023, the top court of Yemen upheld the death sentence.
16:10Since then, there have been multiple attempts to save Nimesha.
16:13As per Yemeni law, there is one option of not being executed,
16:17which is the victim's family accepts blood money.
16:20It's called Diyah in Yemeni law.
16:23And if the victim's family accepts the money,
16:25then the convict is spared.
16:27Nimesha's family and friends via a campaign
16:29have raised a substantial amount, reportedly between 40,000 US dollars to over 58,000 dollars.
16:36But so far, the victim's family in this case hasn't accepted the amount.
16:41Where does the case stand currently?
16:42Nimesha's execution was scheduled to take place on July 16th,
16:46but fortunately was postponed after multiple interventions.
16:50The government has also been struggling to follow the diplomatic route and help Nimesha.
16:53Why?
16:54Because Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, is controlled by the Houthis.
16:57India does not recognize the Houthi-led administration in Sanaa
17:00as the legitimate government of Yemen.
17:03And so India does not have a resident embassy in Yemen
17:05due to the security situation.
17:07This has made it all the more challenging for India to step in.
17:10But there have been efforts by the government.
17:13Nimesha's family has been constantly also appealing
17:15for any possible help beyond the government.
17:18Right now, the Grand Mufti of India has also stepped in to help, as have influential Sunni
17:47figures in Kerala. There's a Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, which has also
17:51officially sought MEA permission to send a five-member delegation, including legal and
17:56religious figures to Yemen, to mediate directly. At this point, we don't know when the execution
18:02will take place. There were claims by the Grand Mufti of India's office that Nimisha Priya's death
18:06sentence has been reversed. But the government immediately clarified that no such update has
18:11come in, and so efforts continue to save Nimisha Priya.
18:17Gaza is entering an unprecedented humanitarian crisis driven by famine, conflict, and restricted
18:25aid access. The death toll is mounting rapidly, especially among children, while survivors
18:30grapple with the catastrophic shortages of food, water, medicine, and shelter. There are heartbreaking
18:36images coming in from Gaza currently. But let's tell you all about this latest crisis.
18:41The United Nations has confirmed that at least 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the
18:47war began in October 2023. That includes more than 80 children who've died in hunger-related
18:53incidents. The war in Gaza, remember, began in October 7, 2023, when thousands of terrorists led by
19:01the Hamas terror group invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages,
19:0820 of whom are believed to be alive at this point. Currently, nearly two years on, over 500,000 people,
19:17and that includes over 3 lakh children under 5, face famine-like or acute malnutrition conditions.
19:24A total of 122 Palestinians have died in Gaza from starvation, 83 children included. And this is the
19:31figures according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Last week, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that there were
19:3728,000 cases of malnutrition in Gaza, with over 5,000 recorded in July alone. The UN Secretary-General,
19:45Antonio Guterres, in a statement, has urged countries to step in, saying, and I quote,
19:50this is not a warning, it's a reality unfolding before our eyes, and the trickle of aid must become
19:56an ocean. So why is this happening? Well, the crisis has been triggered by a lack of aid reaching Gaza.
20:03Despite some air convoys and airdrops, only about 50% of requested supplies are actually reaching
20:09Gaza, with severe restrictions continuing under Israeli blockade policies. Israeli Prime Minister
20:15Benjamin Netanyahu had actually blocked all aid to Gaza back in March, saying it was to pressure
20:20Hamas into accepting a ceasefire. There are still some limited UN aid distribution operations,
20:26but they're so severely restricted, that their effect simply cannot be felt. Israel restricts a lot
20:32of trucks and airdrops as well. But Israel has maintained that what we're seeing currently,
20:37this hunger crisis, is triggered by UN. Israel claims that shortfalls are occurring because much
20:44of the aid lies rotting, according to them, because the UN has not distributed it to spread Hamas's
20:50narrative and to create a famine. This is Israel's allegation. But they're also isolated. Their ally,
20:58Trump, acknowledged the crisis in Gaza, clearly deviating from Netanyahu's stand.
21:03Kids are, that's real starvation stuff, I see it. And you can't fake that. So we're going to be
21:10even more involved. We did some airlifts before, some airdrops, and the people are running for it.
21:18And the Prime Minister is going to help us. They're very effective with that. You've done
21:22that before, and for many, they've done that for a hundred years very well.
21:27Several countries have now started dropping aid in Gaza. Middle East countries, European countries
21:31like Spain, have been airdropping tons of food into Gaza. So Israel too has been doing it. So has Jordan,
21:38the United Arab Emirates, they've all airdropped supplies into Gaza. Israel has also announced that
21:44it would stop all fighting in large parts of Gaza for 10-hour humanitarian pauses each day,
21:50with pressure mounting on the country, seeing the horrifying images coming in of the famine
21:55in Gaza. That's all we have time for in this edition of India Today Explains. Thanks very
21:59much for tuning in. I'll see you same time next week.
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