Expressing disbelief and dismay at the candidature of Pragya Thakur for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, a group of 71 retired civil servants have said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot “escape the irony of his party seeking votes in the name of fighting terrorism and at the same time endorsing the candidature of a person accused of terror crimes.”

In an open letter, the retired officials said the decision to field Ms. Thakur as a candidate could have been dismissed “as yet another example of political expediency but for the enthusiastic endorsement by no less a person than the Prime Minister, who had termed her candidature as a symbol of our civilisational heritage.

“As if it were not enough to nominate a person who is undergoing trial for acts of terror (the Malegaon Bomb Blast Case), Pragya Thakur, who is out on bail on medical grounds, has used the political platform she has been provided not just to propound her brand of bigotry, but also to insult the memory of Shri Hemant Karkare, the IPS officer who laid down his life in the fight against terror,” said the letter.

Read the full letter here.

The letter said that for Ms. Thakur, Mr. Karkare died not because he sacrificed his own life defending ours, but because she had put a curse on him for daring to investigate her and, through his meticulous investigations, successfully charging her for terrorist crimes. “In her worldview, anyone who has the audacity to investigate a self-styled “Hindu” religious leader in a “Hindu” country earns divine wrath and therefore would naturally be destroyed,” it said.

The former civil servants said: “This dishonouring of a former colleague, an officer known for his professionalism, has come as the ultimate shock and saddened us beyond words. The country needs to honour the sacrifice of Shri Karkare and not allow deviant individuals to denigrate him and his memory. Every officer who has served with or supervised the work of Shri Karkare has testified that he was a person of impeccable integrity and an inspiration to all who came in touch with him.”

The letter stated that “It is also about the atmosphere of hate and divisiveness that characterises not just this electoral campaign but seems to be percolating through society as a whole. The candidature of Pragya Thakur is not a symbol of our civilisational heritage. Our heritage is not that of acts of terrorism. It is not of majoritarianism, but of celebrating our diversity. It is of tolerance, fraternity and of the unifying spirit of the Constitution of India.”

To the Election Commission and the judiciary, the retired officials said their efforts to contain the politics of divisiveness and of hate have had little impact so far.

“It is necessary to be far more proactive to stamp out this aberration. Inaction will only exacerbate the situation,” they said, calling upon citizens to “condemn Mr. Thakur’s statement; demanding that the BJP withdraw her candidature; and remind the Prime Minister of his oath to uphold constitutional values…,” said the letter.

Read the full letter here.