By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: With the arrest of a member of Sanatan Sanstha in the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, political pressure is mounting on the ruling BJP governments in Maharashtra and Goa to ban the right-wing organization.
Dr Virendra Tawade, 48, an ENT specialist was arrested by CBI on Friday night from his residence in Navi Mumbai for conspiring in the murder of Dabholkar. Before arresting Tawade the CBI had conducted a search on June 1 at the Pune residence of another Sanstha member Sarang Akolkar who is on the run ever since his name surfaced in the 2009 Goa bomb blast case.
On August 20, 2013 Dabholkar was shot dead by two unidentified bike-borne assailants near the Balgandharva Bridge in Pune.
Tawade is a member of Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janjagruti Samiti (HJS). While seeking custody, CBI mentioned a statement recorded by witness u/s 164 CrPC nailing Tawade in the case and it needed to examine a mobile phone recovered from his residence.
A day after this arrest the opposition in Maharashtra reiterated its demand for a ban on Sanatan Sanstha. Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan demanded action against the right wing organization saying the Centre should immediately ban the organisation.
State Congress president and former CM Ashok Chavan said, “In the past too, Congress had sought a ban…now after the arrest of Tawde, we once again urge that Sanatan Sanstha be banned immediately on the grounds that its activities are dangerous to the nation,” Chavan told TOI.
However, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said a decision to ban or not will depend on the evidence offered by the agencies.
“The government has shown its will by cracking the case with its constant follow-up. We will take all actions based on evidence. So any decision to ban or not will be based objectively on inputs given by the agencies so that the provisions of the relevant act are satisfied. We have given a clear signal that no unlawful activity will be tolerated,” Fadnavis told reporters.
Even if Sanatan Sanstha and HJS are Hindu rightwing groups, they don’t enjoy good relationship with BJP as the groups had earlier accused RSS of hypocrisy over religious issues and therefore BJP may take a call to ban it if CBI produces evidences to that effect.