The arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur along with other ‘Hindu’ co-accused as the key conspirators in the 2008 Malegaon bombing, for the first time, had triggered an unusual, a never-heard-before debate in social, political and media circles. It shifted the focus of law enforcement and their investigations from the ‘usual suspects’ to the ‘unusual suspects’. Even the assassination of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi at the hands of right-winger Nathu Ram Godse had not triggered a debate of such an astounding magnitude. It did not see the historic incident from the biased prism of ‘Hindu vs Muslim’ perpetrator.

Sadhvi’s arrest, in a way, had sent shockwaves to the power corridors and shaken the ‘tectonic plates’ of those at their helm to their core. The reason is crystal clear: The development had huge political ramifications and had been fraught with electoral costs. No political party was willing to take an electoral risk. As a result, the political outfits kept themselves at a safe distance and watched the developments from afar to avoid these hidden electoral costs.

As the news broke, people switched on their television sets, only to add to their confusion. They watched the prime-time news in total disbelief, with their eyes wide open. No one was mentally prepared to see what they were actually watching and to hear what they were hearing. With Sadhvi’s arrest, ‘unacceptable’ and ‘disgusting’ terms and above all, concoctions like ‘Hindu Terror’, ‘Right Wing Terror’, started occupying spaces in newspapers and in slots on TV channels during prime times. Countrymen heard for the first time about certain ‘Abhinav Bharat’. They also heard for the very first time, as had been alleged back then, Abhinav Bharat’s hidden agenda of overthrowing the Government of India and establishing a government-in-exile Aryavrat with its headquarters in Israel.