Men of mantra or mayhem? A look in to the shadowy world of the Sanathan Sanstha
Associated with Hindu terror, Ramnathi's Sanatan Sanstha's activities go on uninterrupted | Yet again, the cops came to the door of the sanshtha to pick up someone connected to a crime | The wives of two Goa ministers are high profile sadaks of the sanstha Basuri Desai I The Goan ,Ponda 07 September 2013 >From the Malegaon blast of 2006 to Margao blast of 2009, from the annual Hindu Rashtra meet to the murder of renowned activist Narendra Dabholkar, investigative agencies have turned to Ponda's Sanatan Sanstha as the first place to pick up clues to the culprits. This, almost secretive center in the middle of a hamlet called Ramnathi in Pomda has been connected to right wing extremism, a feeling persistent with intelligence wings without any definite closure. The arrest of Sandip Shinde in connection with the high profile killing of anti superstition activist, made The Goan travel to Ramnathi to try and figure where it stood in the good vs evil equation. Hours after anti-superstition crusader Narendra Dabholkar's murder in Pune, a crack team of Pune Police prepared for a trip to Ramnathi in Ponda. Their brief, to pick up 31-year-old Sandip Shinde, a Sanatan sadhak in connection with the murder most foul of the rationalist who did not see eye to eye with radical Hindu organisations. For Sanatan Sanstha, flirting with controversies is all in a day's work. Four years after the Margao blast, Sanatan Sanstha is back again in controversy, this time, in connection- albeit still nebulous- with the murder of anti-superstition crusader. Is crime the religion?: The Sanstha which was formed two decades back with the purpose of spirituality, education and religious studies is on the radar of most central agencies as a probable hub for extremist activities. In its heydays, people would come to seek solace in this Sanstha. But now questions are being raised whether criminals are using it as a safe haven "We have thousands of workers in the Sanstha. If they are involved in any crimes then it is their individual responsibility," said Virendra Marathe, the administrator of Sanatan Sanstha at Ramnathi. So what really does Mathe mean? We shall take a guess. That when criminals use religious institutions to commit crime, the institution winks and looks the other way Since 2008 the Sanstha members have been found involved in different controversies. In the Thane Vashi bomb blast in 2008, six Sanatan workers were arrested and in 2011 a court has convicted two of its workers. Not men of God surely:In 2009, 12 Sanatan's members were allegedly involved in the Margao bomb blast, 4 of whom are still at large. The case is been investigated by the NIA (National Investigation Agency) and has been charge-sheeted before the special court and is pending trial. All the arrested accused are in the custody. While in 2012 two Sanatan workers were picked up from Mangalore for interrogation in the Malegaon blast, this year one person, Sandip Shinde was picked up by Pune police in relation to the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabolkar. However, Virendra Marathe, the administrator of Sanatan Sanstha has refused all the allegations against the Sanstha claiming its politically motivated. "The Sanstha is not involved in any crime. We are politically targeted," Marathe said while refusing to name any politicians. Political better halves club? Jyothi Dhavlikar wife of PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and Lata Dhavlikar wife of Cooperation Minister Deepak Dhavlikar are closely associated with the right-wing organization, Sanatan Sanstha. Virendra Marathe administrator of the Sanstha has confirmed their association. But he said, "They are our ‘sadaks'. They have no role in the administration." Incidentally former home minister Ravi Naik had publicly said that Jyothi Dhavlikar would be quizzed during the Margao blast investigation. But sources in the police confirmed that Jyothi was never interrogated. The Margao bomb blast took place when Ravi Naik was presiding as the home minister in the government in 2009. "There was a clear intention by the Sanatan Sanstha to create communal riots in Goa in 2009," Naik said. He also said that the Congress government failed to ban the Sanstha in Goa then but refused to say why. With the radar once more on this organization -- founded by Jayant Balaji Athavale for the study of spirituality, its linkages appear far stronger with criminality. http://www.thegoan.net/Goa/News/Men-of-mantra-or-mayhem-A-look-in-to-the-shadowy-world-of-the-Sanathan-Sanstha/05783.html