Dabholkar Murder Case: “Conspiracy To Prove Sanatan Sanstha A Saffron Terrorist Organisation Foiled”
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 10th May 2024: “The conspiracy to use UAPA to prove Sanatan Sanstha a ‘Saffron terrorist organisation’ and ban it, has been foiled, said Chetan Rajhans, spokesperson of Sanatan Sanstha.
He added, “We respect the verdict given by the Court today in Dr Dabholkar murder case. The verdict has proven that the seekers of Sanatan Sanstha were innocent. The conspiracy of ‘Urban Naxals’ to prove Sanatan Sanstha a ‘Hindu terrorist organisation’ has failed. Today, Special Court of Pune CBI acquitted Sanatan’s seeker Vikram Bhave, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti’s Dr Virendra Singh Tawde and Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar of Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad. The UAPA Act pertaining to terrorist activities charged in this case has also been cancelled.”
Despite the convicted Hindu activists Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar neither being the office bearers of Sanatan Sanstha nor being directly involved in any of Sanstha’s activities, we strongly feel that they too were implicated in this case. Hence, the advocates who fought this cased and played a role is acquittal of Sanatan’s seekers, declared that they will appeal in High Court and fight for their acquittal. We are confident that Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar will be acquitted by the Mumbai High Court, Rajhans informed.
Addressing a press conference at the Pune Patrakar Bhavan in Navi Peth, Sanatan Sanstha members said that in this case, the investigating agencies constantly changed their stand in the chargesheet. Interestingly, the agencies used ‘planchette’ to find the accused, through which it was claimed that Dr Dabholkar’s spirit confirmed that Sanatan Sanstha was the culprit behind his murder. Initially, Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar of Sanatan Sanstha were accused of being the killers.
“Earlier, Manish Nagori and Vikas Khandelwal, from whom the pistol was recovered, were given clean chits. After that, Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar were accused of the murder. The role of the witnesses in this case was questionable. They had earlier identified Vinay Pawar and Akolkar as the killers. They had told the Court that the members of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) had come to meet them and that they would dine with them. This raises question whether MANS pressurised the witnesses.
Not only did the MANS have contact with the witnesses but even Dr Dabholkar’s family pressurised the investigating agencies. As a result, Sanatan Sanstha was framed in this case and investigation was carried out with prejudice. In the last 11 years, 1,600 seekers of Sanatan were interrogated. Sanatan’s Ashrams were raided. The case was prolonged in the name of finding the mastermind. The CBI has stated in the chargesheet that after investigating all the office bearers of the Sanatan Sanstha, no one was found guilty. Today, after a delay of 11 years, Sanatan Sanstha has received justice”, Rajhans added.
