Karkare sought ban on Sanstha: ATS chief

Hindu right-wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha might have faced a ban if the Maharashtra government had acted on a proposal forwarded...

Hindu right-wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha might have faced a ban if the Maharashtra government had acted on a proposal forwarded by the Anti-Terrorism Squad last year.

After a blast at Gadkari Rangayatan in nearby Thane in June 2008,investigations had pointed a finger at the Sanstha and,the then ATS chief Hemant Karkare,had sent a proposal to the state Home Ministry seeking a ban on the organisation. ATS had forwarded the proposal to the government but Im not aware of its status, said ATS chief K P Raghuvanshi. Karkare had forwarded the proposal some time before he was gunned down by terrorists in the 26/11 attacks. To proscribe an organisation,the state has to forward its proposal to the Centre,which takes a call after considering the recommendations.

Meanwhile,the Sanstha on Tuesday,while denying its role in the blast,said it would extend full cooperation to the investigating team. The Margao incident is unfortunate and we condemn it, Vivek Naphade,trustee of Sanatan Sanstha,said. We extended our full cooperation to police during the raid on the Ashram and it will continue, he said.

Goa blast: Second accused dies

Panaji: The second accused in the Margao blast case,Yogesh Naik,who suffered severe injuries in the explosion,died here on Tuesday,SP Omprakash Kurtarkar said. Yogesh accompanied main accused Malgounda Patil on the day of the blast and suffered severe injuries. Yogesh hails from Talaulim village near Ponda town and reportedly got close to Patil while at the Ramnathi Ashram. Yogesh (26) used to deliver milk to the Sanatan Sanstha on his Honda Eterno scooter,which the police claim was used by him to reach Margao. DIG Ravindra Patil said,Yogesh used to help circulate the organisations mouthpiece Sanatan Parbhat. He was an active member of the organisation. The family denies the claim. PTI