MARGAO, MAY 17
Exactly five months after bomb blasts rocked the commercial capital on the eve of Diwali on October 16 last, the National Investigation Agency on Monday filed a chargesheet against 11 persons, including six sadhaks (members) of Sanathan Saunstha having its headquarters at Ramnarthi, Ponda in the Margao bomb blasts case.
In the 30-page chargesheet, the NIA charged the 11 accused, including five who are absconding, for hatching a criminal conspiracy between June and October 2009 with the common object to strike terror in the minds of viewers, organizers and participants of the Narkasur competition at Margao and Sancoale by indulging in terrorist acts using improvised explosives devices.
Of the 11 accused, five persons have been shown as absconding, two are dead and four in custody.
The eleven, include Vinay Talekar, Vinayak Patil, Dhananjay Ashtekar and Dilip Mangaonkar, who are presently in custody, having been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Substances Act, criminal conspiracy and for waging war against the government of India. The accused absconding in the case are Jaiprakash alias Anna (Mangalore), Rudra Patil (Sangli), Prashant Ashtekar (Ratnagiri), Prasad Juvekar and Sarang Kulkarni (Pune).
The chargesheet states that Dhananjay Ashtekar, a native of Ratnagiri, visited Sanathan Bhartiya at the Sanathan Ashram in Goa and stayed there for 10 days. Investigations have revealed that Dhananjay met accused Malgonda Patil at his room close to the room of the head of Sanathan Saunstha Jayant Athawale in the first week of June 2009.. The chargesheet stated that accused Malgonda Patil was the managing trustee of the Dharma Sabha, a trust of the Sanathan, adding that he was an active member of the organization and was a permanent resident of the ashram.
“The Sanathan Saunstha was against the Narkasur competition and had repeatedly complained to the government objecting to the conduct of the Narkasur competition”, the chargesheet stated.
The NIA has stated in the chargesheet that accused Malgaonda Patil and Yogesh were the sadhaks of Sanathan Saustha and added that Sanathan Saunstha is an organization showing extreme interest in the matters of Hindu religion and organised martial training in their property at Valpoi.
The chargesheet has charged accused numbers 1 to 10 (see chart ) for conducting the first test of the IED behind a hillock at Talaulim-Ponda near the house of Laxmikant Naik, brother of deceased Yogesh Naik in the last week of August 2009. It stated that Dhananjay was staying in the ashram during the last week of August 2009, while Vinay Talekar and Vinayak Patil purchased SIM cards on forged documents from Ponda and Vasco.
Both Talekar and Patil purchased second hand mobile phones from Cell Touch shop, while accused Vinay Talekar purchased batteries and tapes for use in the IEDs.
The chargesheet stated Ashtekar purchased electronic items, alarm clock from Mumbai and Kholapur to be used in the IEDs, while Dilip and other accused participated in the training till 2005 organised in the property of Marathe..
Special Public Prosecutor S B Faria told newsmen that the NIA has attached documents to prove the physical location of vendors who had sold the electronic items in Mumbai and Kholapur, while enough evidence has been collected to prove access to the cell phones. “The NIA has collected sufficient evidence against all the accused persons to prove the criminal conspiracy
The NIA has said that investigation has revealed that Dhananjay had prepared 12 circuits, out of which he had brought five circuits into Goa in August 2009. The IED was tested behind the house of Laxmikant Naik in the presence of Malgonda Patil, Yogesh Naik, Vinay Talekar, Dhananjay Ashtekar, Prashant Juvekar, Sarang Kulkarni, Jay Prakash and Rudra Patil.
