They spent savings to blast theatres

Sevaks Used Rs 20K For Making Five Bombs

Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: The sevaks of Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindu revivalist group, arrested for their alleged role in the recent bomb blasts, on Wednesday said that they had collected the money for making bombs from their own savings and spent around Rs 20,000 on making five bombs.

The sevaks, Ramesh Hanumant Gadkari (50), Mangesh Nikam (34), Santosh Angre (26) and Vikram Bhave (26) were booked for their alleged role in the Thane, Vashi and Panvel blasts.

“Gadkari, Bhave and Nikam knew how to make bombs. They were all present when the bombs were being manufactured. We are questioning them on who taught them, ‘’ said an officer. Moreover, the accused told the police that they did not take anyone’s financial help for making the bombs. “During the interrogation, the accused said that they had collected the money from their savings. We are questioning them and trying to find out who was the brain behind the blasts,’’ said the officer.

“We want to find out which channel is funding them and their support system. Our teams have reached Satara and Ratnagiri and we are hopeful of getting some evidence from there,’’ anti-terrorism squad chief Hemant Karkare said.

The accused had bought shrapnel from Panvel, eight timers from Lohar Chawl for Rs 550 each and asked for a 5% discount. “The batteries were bought from a shop at Grant Road. We will now record the statements of the employees of these shops and their owners,’’ the police said. The circuits for the bombs were made by Gadkari who holds a diploma in Electronics Engineering. Detonators, gelatin sticks and ammonium nitrate were obtained from the city. The ATS is likely to subject the accused to narco analysis and lie-detector tests as their statements are not matchig. For instance, Gadkari initially told the police that his wife, Neela, a sevika, was with him when he went to plant a bomb at Thane’s Gadkari Rangayatan hall. Later, he changed his statement saying Bhave was with him.

While Nikam was involved in a bomb blast case at Ratnagiri in 2006 and was acquitted for it, Bhave was booked for an assault case by the Navi Mumbai police. According to sources, a girl who had left her house and decided to stay at Sanatan Ashram had refused to go home, when her relatives came to take her. A fight broke out between her relatives and some sevaks, Bhave was involved. The ATS said that they were waiting for case papers to arrive from Navi Mumbai.

While Gadkari and Angre stayed at Sanatan Ashram at Devat near Panvel, Nikam was arrested from Satara and Bhave was picked up from Wadala. The bombs were manufactured at Bhave’s house.

Gadkari and Bhave had told the police that they had planted a bomb outside a mosque on Pen highway to check its intensity on Diwali, last year. “They said it was a mosque or dargah but it was, in fact, a qabrastan (cemetery). They had planted the bomb outside the qabrastan to test it,’’ said an officer. (Most e Muslim cemeteries have a mosque where namaz is offered for the dead).

We shun violence, say Sanatan sevaks
Navi Mumbai: Sahil (name changed) is a regular ‘sadhak’ (disciple) at the Panvel Sanatan Sanstha at Devad village, which is currently in the news in connection with bomb blasts during the staging of a Marathi play in Thane.

Sahil said that like most of the 150 sadhaks and sadhikas (inmates) at the Sanstha, he too is shocked by the arrest of persons associated with the organization. “I am an engineering topper from a prominent Mumbai college, and have been coming here for meditation for the last eight years as I quite like this place. It is meant for peace and spiritual growth, and not to propagate violence, such as bomb blasts,’’ said Sahil.

The spokesperson for the Sanstha, Abhay Vartak, condemned the recent acts of violence. He, however, added that they also condemn the cheap and demeaning portrayal of Hindu deities, and misrepresentation of mythology in certain films and plays. “The English film Love Guru, for example, makes a mockery of our Indian values. Though I have personally not seen Jodha Akbar, I have been told that they have fabricated history to show a Rajput king willingly marrying his daughter to the Mughal king.’’

But Varkat added that such bad portrayals in the media still do not call for bombings or any other form of violence. “Our Sanstha completely believes in peace and spiritual growth. We believe in peaceful forms of protests if something hurts us; which is why the recent arrests have totally shocked us,’’ he reasoned.

A regular day for sadhaks and sadhikas here begins at 6.30 am with half-hour of Yoga. At 7 pm, they freshen up, and begin ‘chanting meditation for 30 minutes till 8 am. From 8.10 am to 8.30 am, they offer aarti to the gods, and then proceed for breakfast.

“From 9 am onwards, they begin their regular duties, which include work at the fabrication workshop, some prefer vehicle repairs at our inhouse garage, while other sadhaks and sadhikas do office accounting work or any job assigned to them,’’ said Vartak.

Television is switched on mainly to watch news channels. Lunch is served at 12.30 am,At 5 pm, it’s time for tea and snacks. At 6 pm they again perform aarti, and by 10 pm they go to sleep. “There is no compulsion for them to stay; anyone can walk out at free will. Sometimes we also receive international visitors who want to learn about Indian spirituality,’’ said Vartak.

Adding that the have fully cooperated with the ATS, leading to the recent arrests, Vartak reiterated that there is no place for violence in their abode. “In a recent comical play, Lord Krishna is shown coming down on earth and mouthing the dialogue that he wanted to pee. Such acts are very disrespectful, cheap and bad comedy, but we protest legally,’’ he said.

The Times of India, June 19, 2008