My father’s name should be taken with dignity: Hemant Karkare’s daughter hits out at Pragya

The daughter of the late chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Hemant Karkare has appealed to everyone to take his name with "dignity," in response to controversial remarks made by Malegaon bomb blasts accused and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Bhopal Pragya Thakur.

In an interview she gave to The Sunday Express from her home in the United States, Karkare's daughter Jui Navare highlighted that the former top cop, who was martyred during the 26/11 terror attacks, used to "place his uniform before his own life and family."

Pragya has courted a massive countrywide controversy after claiming that Karkare died because of her curse. The former Maharashtra ATS head was investigating Pragya's role in carrying out the Malegaon serial bombings in 2006 which claimed lives of 40 persons and left over 200 injured. Pragya was among 11 persons arrested by authorities in October 2008, a month before the Mumbai terror attacks.

"I do not want to dignify her or her statement. I only want to talk about Hemant Karkare. He was a role model and his name should be taken with dignity,” The Sunday Express quoted Navare as saying.

Thirty-eight year old Navare, the eldest of Karkare's three children, recalled that her mother was rather worried about her husband's safety once he got involved in the Malegaon blasts' investigation.

Trashing Pragya's claims that she had been framed by the late police officer, Navare stated that her father had always ensured justice.

“On the case, I fully supported his findings. I knew whatever he did would be correct. He was an officer who went by the book. I know him as a daughter. A person like him would always ensure justice. It was always obvious for me,” she told the newspaper.