PONDA: Ramnathi Bandora locals have raised their voices against the Sanatan Sanstha – its ashram and its sadhaks – demanding that the ashram be shifted out of the village. The villagers have given the government a week to ban the Sanstha or shift the ashram, failing which they have warned of intensifying the agitation and threatened to organize a morcha in Ponda and a public meeting at Ponda bus stand.
This is not the first time the villagers of Bandora have protested over the Sanstha. They had earlier done so after the 2009 Margao bomb blast in which Sanstha members had died while placing the bomb.
Local panch Sharmila Lotlikar claimed she had been approached by many people who demanded that the ashram be shifted from Ramnathi and appealed to the Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to do so immediately. She said there are some women-related issues at the ashram, but didn’t divulge details. She said any MLA who desires to have the ashram in his constituency is welcome to it.
Ramnathi Yuva Sangh President Saurabh Lotlikar said their demand is to free the village from the ‘menace of the Sanstha’ which is in focus following some of its member’s alleged involvement and connection with the killing of Govind Pansare in Maharashtra. They blamed the government for not taking any action against the Sanstha.
Saurabh, who is the son of panchayat member Sharmila, demanded that the government take immediate action on their concerns. Without naming local MLA Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar, Saurabh said that when people do not want this ashram it continues to exist as the local MLA supports it.
He said that MLAs supporting, or having a soft corner towards the ashram, could take it to their constituencies. He said Ramnathi and Bandora have many temples and that God Ramnath is there to protect them. “There is no need of Sanatan Sanstha in the village to teach us Hindutva or spiritualism. All the locals are Hindus and know better about God and seek his blessings,” Saurabh said.
Others present at the media briefing were Dinesh Ramnathkar, Tulishidas Naik and Sidharth Ramnathkar.
Saurabh said the government should act on their demands in public interest. He said the increasing numbers of members of the sanstha is a threat to locals who fear they may be outnumbered in the village. He said locals were not members of the ashram and all the sadhaks were from outside Goa. He questioned as to why there are so many women in the ashram.
He said that the Sanstha, by its activities, provokes people to agitate against them and later files false complaints against the people. He alleged that the government is doing nothing and appealed to all Goans to support the agitation against the Sanstha.
Saurabh said Hindu, Muslims and Christians are living peacefully in Goa, but the continuation of the Sanstha headquarters in the State could lead to cracks in this unity and peace.
He said this is a mass movement and recalled that last year locals had even led a morcha and submitted a memorandum to the Governor seeking the removal of the ashram from Ramnathi.
Another villager Dinesh Ramnathkar alleged that people living in the ashram possess lathis, stones and because of this, the villagers spend sleepless nights. He blamed the local MLA and his wife of supporting the Sanstha.
