HJS and SS leaders are also cagey talking about Dharmashakti Sena chief Vinay Panvalkar, thought to live in the Dadar area of central Mumbai and who has travelled extensively across Maharashtra after the outfit was launched. At a ‘dharmajagruti sabha’ (religious awakening conference) in Pune in mid-May, Panvalkar is quoted as saying, “Hindus are cornered from all sides, but there is no retaliation from them.” At a later meeting in Thane, he says “The war in future will be a dharma-yudh and Dharmashakti Sena will be the guiding force.”

Police say some of the arrested activists are suspected to have had trysts with bombs and violence in the past. Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare said, “We will not simply accept the statements of the accused that the blasts were their own initiative. Various members of these organisations are being questioned. If their role is found in the planning or the execution of these incidents, we will certainly write to the Centre and seek that they be banned.” — (With inputs from Sagnik Chowdhury)

Spreading the word, Melbourne to New Jersey

•Outfits do not have formal memberships; ashrams in Goa and Panvel near Mumbai, among others, hold satsangs

• Active members offer time to spread the word; some travel and are presently in Mauritius

•Funding is through donations. Groups also earn from sale of literature, audio tapes, CDs

•Travel funded by members, stay sponsored by hosts

•Sanatan Sanstha has centres in New Jersey, Brisbane, Melbourne, Dubai

... contd.