Police Fumbles in booking Sanatan Sanstha / Citizens Groups Want Sanstha Banned

The Times of India


SIT raids Sanatan offices

TNN 23 October 2009

PANAJI: The special investigation team probing Friday’s blast at Margao raided the offices of the Sanatan Sanstha on Thursday. The raid, which
commenced in the afternoon, was on till late night. Sources said they SIT was looking through the computers at the offices for evidence to link the Sanstha with the blast. They are also searching for documents that could verify Malgonda Patil’s links with the Sanstha, and the possibility of any conspiracy being hatched in the Sanstha.

“Since Patil was a member of the Sanstha, it is important to check his records and that is why the search is being conducted,” DIG Ravindra Yadav said. Patil, who died in the blast, was one of the accused in the case. Patil’s body lies unclaimed at the GMC morgue. Sources said the police sent a wireless message to his family in Sangli to collect the body. Earlier, his uncle had come to claim the body, but the police were unable to hand it over as the post-mortem had not been conducted.

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The Times of India

'Delay led to loss of crucial evidence'

TNN 22 October 2009

MARGAO: Even as the SIT probing the role of the Sanatan Sanstha in the Margao blast is tightlipped, there is apprehension of crucial evidence
having been lost owing to the delay in conducting a through search of the Sanstha's ashram in Ponda.

"Had we zeroed in on the ashram immediately after the blast, by this time we could have got some important leads," said a source in the police department. When pointed out that the police had conducted search operations at the ashram within hours of the blast, sources said that so far there have been neither any seizures, nor arrests.

The Sanatan Sanstha's ashram at Ponda has around 150 computers, sources said, adding that it would be a gargantuan task for the special investigation team probing the Margao blast to find details of communication exchanged by the inmates over a period of time. The computer hard disks were not sealed by the police, sources said. Till now the police have the mobile phone recovered from the deceased and some documents. They are, however, not revealing what other evidence they have gathered.

Sources pointed out that the Sanstha has separate wings for members undertaking specific tasks. "They (Sanstha) work in a different way which is shrouded in secrecy," said the source.

"The Sanstha featured prominently in the aftermath of Malegaon blast and we in Goa have a task in hand. It will be a long-drawn investigation as the incident is different in nature," confided a senior officer.

On Tuesday police had claimed they had never said the Sanstha was linked to the blasts. The Sanstha, too, had denied any involvement.

Meanwhile, the South Goa police headquarters was a meeting point of senior police officers on Wednesday. DIG R S Yadav monitoring the overall operation and Mumbai anti terrorism squad DIG Sukhwinder Singh along with SP (south) Allen de Sa and others had a closed door meeting. Thereafter, sources said the senior officers left for the ashram.

The SIT also held inquiries with several sanstha members at the south headquarters and recorded their statements.


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The Times of India

Ban Sanatan Sanstha, citizens' panel tells govt

TNN 23 October 2009

MARGAO: `Citizens for secularism and communal harmony', at its meeting held in Margao on Thursday, unanimously demanded that the government
impose a ban on the Sanatan Sanstha, and that its premises be sealed and assets frozen.

"The antecedents and past activities of the Sanatan Sanstha should also be scanned and their possible links with other extremist organizations investigated. Their possible involvement in other anti-social activities, particularly the spate of temple desecrations, should also be checked," the resolution reads.

Social activist and former convenor of the Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA), Oscar Rebelo, in a spirited eloquence, urged the people to overcome the ideology of hate, as professed by Sanatan Sanstha, with the intrinsic power of human values.

"I am convinced that the intrinsic power of wisdom, love and morality contained in the Hindu religion, will defeat this ideology of hate. As a born Catholic, I salute this religion (for its potential to overcome such negative tendencies and harmful ideologies). A day will also come when a Muslim will defeat the al-Qaida. This is the beauty of humanity. The politics of hate should be killed at the family level itself (by refraining from passing adverse comments on other religions in our homes). We will be heading towards the end of the civilization, if we do not get our act together," Rebelo warned.

He further held the Sanatan Sanstha responsible for exerting adverse influence on young radical minds by using vile language in its periodicals, that eventually leads them to adopt ways of terror.

Uday Bhembre, speaking on the occasion, called upon the government to ban the Sanstha as there was overwhelming evidence of its complicity in the bomb blast case.

Mohandas Loliencar, in his speech, alleged that the Sanatan Sanstha was "trying to make Goa a laboratory to foment communal discord in society."

Pradeep Kakodkar, expressing his views, said that all "acts of fanaticism need to be condemned and not politicized." "Terrorism knows no religion, and it's a mistake to brand any terrorist as belonging to any particular religion," he added.

Francisco Colaco urged the people to oppose all divisive forces to ensure that the communal harmony of the state was not disturbed. "Every religion teaches to live in love and harmony, which has been the hallmark of Goa for centuries. We need to preserve this identity of Goa at all costs," he said.