Mumbai: The ATS found that the gang had done a recce (with the intention of causing physical harm) of rationalists, speakers, littérateurs, and others who target the Hindu religion and its traditions and customs, a release from the agency said.
The gang carried out a recce of the (Sunburn) venue but dropped its plan at the last moment as one of the accused alerted others that he has been possibly captured on one of the CCTVs there. On Wednesday, the ATS filed a 6,880-page chargesheet against the 12 accused, who are now in judicial custody, for planning to carry out terror strikes in various cities of Maharashtra. The ATS has, for the first time, mentioned in its press note that the accused are members of Sanatan Sanstha and the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.
Two years ago, the CBI had, in its chargesheet in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case, named another Sanatan Sanstha member.“Investigation established that Sanatan Sanstha sadhak (and doctor) Virendrasinh Tawde, who harboured enmity hatred with Dabholkar owing to ideological differences, criminally conspired with sadhaks Vinay Pawar, Sarang Akolkar and others to murder Dabholkar,” the CBI chargesheet said.
The ATS note said, “During investigation, it was revealed that the members of the terrorist gang are also members of organisations such as Sanatan Sanstha, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti and similar other smaller organisations. They had drawn their motivation of making efforts towards establishment of so called Hindu Rashtra as explained in the book called ‘Kshatra Dharma Sadhana’, published by Sanatan Sanstha. Copies of the book has been seized by the ATS.’’ Special public prosecutor Raja Thackray urged the special NIA court that names of witnesses should not be disclosed as it could endanger their lives. No accused was brought to the court on Wednesday.
The Times of India, December 6, 2018
