Sadhvi Pragya Thakur’s statement that she had cursed the 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare and hence he was killed is the most unfortunate remark in this election season so far.

That Thakur has grievance against Karkare, who as the then Anti-Terrorists Squad chief had arrested the Sadhvi in connection with the Malegaon bomb blasts, is understandable. But that a statement like this should come from her, when she is contesting from Bhopal on Bharatiya Janata Party ticket for Lok Sabha polls, is indeed embarrassing.

The BJP has rightly distanced itself from the Sadhvi’s statement, but it won’t be enough to simply describe the remark as her personal stance borne out of the presumed torture she underwent in the jail. The party must strongly condemn it, for it is the BJP that is seen as a party that puts national interests above everything.

If the party were to uphold that principle, the Sadhvi should be asked to retract her statement. 26/11 was one of the darkest chapters in our contemporary history and officers like Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar and Ashok Kamte sacrificed their lives while fighting Pakistani terrorists that had launched attacks in Mumbai.

The trio and indeed several other policemen, including Tukaram Ombalkar who flung himself on Ajmal Kasab, did not think for a moment about their own lives. The only thought that they had in mind was their duty to their flag, their nation, i.e., the Tricolour and India.

To say that Karkare died because of a curse given by a Sadhvi who, by her claims, was innocent, is insulting the supreme sacrifices made by our officers in uniform. The IPS Officers’ Association has rightly condemned it. The supreme leadership in the BJP as well as the RSS should have a quiet word with the Sadhvi and make her understand that she cannot be insulting the martyrs for her electoral cause.