Video shows otherwise wheelchair-bound Pragya Thakur playing basketball; leaves Cong surprised

Team Udayavani, Jul 2, 2021, 5:17 PM IST

A purported video of Bhopal’s BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, who usually moves in a wheelchair citing health issues, walking and dribbling a ball before netting it a basketball hoop on a ground, has gone viral on social media.

Her act has left many surprised, with the Madhya Pradesh Congress saying that it was delighted to see Thakur trying her hands at the basketball game, given that it was so far under the impression that she cannot even stand or walk. Thakur had gone to attend a sapling plantation event at Saket Nagar in Bhopal on Thursday, where she spotted some players practising on a basketball ground, sources said.

The saffron-robed BJP leader then went to the basketball court and showcased her skills. She dribbled the ball with right hand and netted it with perfection amid cheers and clapping as seen in the video.

Congress spokesman Narendra Saluja said, “I have seen MP Sadhvi Thakur wheelchair-bound so far. But today I am delighted to see her hands at basketball at the stadium.

“So far, it was known that she couldn’t even stand up or walk due to an injury…May God keep her healthy always,” he said in a release.

The Congress has also shared the video of her playing basketball on the social media. However, efforts to establish contact with Thakur failed. When contacted, Thakur’s elder sister Upama Singh described the incident as a “small thing”.

”Many of you might not know that she has done a certificate course in physical education (CPEd) and bachelor of physical education (BPEd). She was fit and fine before her going to jail, where she was tortured and tormented,” her sister told PTI.

Pragya Singh Thakur is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. In January this year, the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai had granted exemption from physical appearance to her till further orders.

She had appeared before the special court on January 4 and filed an application seeking permanent exemption on medical and other grounds. Six people were killed and 100 injured when an explosive device strapped to a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon in north Maharashtra on September 29, 2008.

Thakur had contested and won the 2019 Lok Sabha election as a BJP candidate from Bhopal.