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Updated: Apr 22, 2019 15:12 IST

BJP candidate from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Thakur on Sunday denied all the charges in a written reply to a notice served on her by district election officer (DEO), Bhopal for her reported remarks on former Mumbai Anti Terror Squad (ATD) chief Hemant Karkare, DEO Sudam Khade said.

The DEO in the notice served on her Saturday said she had violated model code of conduct by making the remarks on Karkare who was killed in the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

“I didn’t say any defamatory word about the martyrdom of any martyr in my speech. Any inference should not be drawn from a single line of my speech....I just made a mention of torture I was subjected to at the instance of the then Congress government and this is my right to narrate the incident before public, that happened with me. Media presented my statement in a negative manner. I myself withdrew the statement in view of public sentiments,” Pragya Thakur said in her reply.

The Election Commission has issued a second notice to her for her remark expressing “extreme pride” at her role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992. She has sought time from Khade to submit her reply.

On Sunday evening, the DEO submitted the report related to the first notice to the chief electoral officer, Madhya Pradesh VL Khantharao who granted time till Monday afternoon to the Sadhvi to submit her reply on the second notice, Khade said.

“Thakur has denied that she has violated any section of model code of conduct. She said it was her personal pain which she shared. We have forwarded the report in the matter with Thakur’s reply to the CEO.”

CEO Rao said, “We have received a report and we have forwarded it to ECI for a final decision on the same.”

Addressing BJP workers in Bhopal on Friday, Thakur, had said ATS chief Karkare died because she had cursed him.

State Congress spokesperson JP Dhanopia said, “It’s a violation of the model code of conduct as she attacked our security forces. There should be an FIR against her and she should be punished for the objectionable remark.”

But state BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal came to her defence. “Sadhvi made it clear on the very day that it was her personal pain which she shared with others. She also withdrew her statement,” Aggarwal said.