In his Booker Prize winning novel, ‘In a Free State’, V S Naipaul said, “The only lies for which we are truly punished are those we tell ourselves”. While Naipaul passed away yesterday, his words ring true today as Goa constantly lives in a state of self denial. We protest the consequence of the truth that took away Gauri Lankesh, Dr Govind Pansare, Kalburgi and even threatened our poet eminence Damodar Mauxo at (ironically speaking), Azad Maidan. Yet we fail to raise our voice against the ugly truth, Sanatan Sansthan that continues to spread its terror from amchem Goem soil across the country. The land of peace, loving, enlightened and the tolerant has been quietly turning into a nursery of terror. And Sanatan Sansthan, it’s biggest testimony.
Earlier last week, an alleged member of Sanatan Sansthan was caught with eight bombs and explosive materials near Mumbai. Weeks back it was the main accused of liberal scribe Gauri Lankesh’s murder who was seen as another alleged terror initiate from Sanatan Sansthan. The alarming regularity with which the Ponda based organisation has been figuring in the list of investigations by security agencies into attack on liberals and secular minds across India is not just a cause for concern but of alarm to Goa too. Despite its politically interfered police force and weak internal intelligence agencies, Goa was always seen as a safe, secure but law abiding domain. From Charles Sobhraj to Yasin Bhatkal, the journey of Goa as safe haven for criminals and terrorists has been growing alarmingly and with Sanatan Sansthan having a virtual bull run in Goa, we have been sleeping with the enemy and continue to do so.
At Bandora in Ponda, the Sansthan exists well shielded and unchecked as an island of magical influence over the state’s polity. One should not forget the fact that the Sansthan exists in the village of MGP Supremo, Chief Ministerial aspirant and PWD Minister in charge of the multi-crore infrastructural development in the state of Goa, Sudin Dhavalikar. Why doesn’t he or his party then not seek investigation into.the activities of the Sansthan? Ministers in Goa have run their constituencies like their personal fiefdom. So why doesn’t the honourable Minister ever make the police investigate the Sansthan?
Villagers in Bandora where the Sansthan has its base, speak in hushed tones of lathi (staff) bearing members roaming the landscape and their pleas to the village panchayat seeking respite from their lawlessness met with deafening silence. Journalists and social activists feel scared to report about the Sasthan and even research into it because they have on their ranks, a battery of eminent and aggressive lawyers who uphold the Sansthan above the law and law abiding citizens of Goa/India. Strange though that the Sansthan had been also there when Ravi Naik, the then Ponda MLA was serving as the state’s Home Minister too. So why didn’t he cull the menace?
What is even disturbing is the State of lawlessness that Goa has been witnessing even as security agencies and local intelligence networks have been failing. All with Manohar Parrikar as Home Minister of the State. Mr Parrikar may have been using Department to lush his own political clout but the fact remains that his intelligence networks have been an utter failure. All the Police whether in BJP ruled or non-BJP ruled state’s may be finding a pattern of terror and extremism in Sanatan Sansthan ways but Goa Police seems to be okay with it. The Ketamine factory in Pissurlem as one of the nerve centres of party drug trade was traced by Delhi/Mumbai based Central Enforcement agencies but Goa Police had no clue. Rings after rings of matka operators have been smashed by the State’s police yet the criminals have been bailed out leaving one wondering whether who does crime pay for in Goa.
The I-scratch-your-back-and-you-scratch-mine equilibrium of State’s leaders whether in the Government or in the Opposition has been keeping the state’s lawless whether the Fishing Mafia or the Mining Mafia and now Religious Fundamentalism alive and burning in Goa. The time for demanding an explanation from our elected representatives is long past. The time has come for the people to clean up the mess in our neighbourhood, clean up the reputation of Goa and most importantly, Get out Goa back.
