Wicked Designs

 

It was an attempt to do a Malegaon of Maharashtra at Madgaon in Goa. But because of a glitch in the plan it failed to achieve the intended objective of inflaming communal passion. So when Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik rode a scooter fitted with explosives to their destination on October 16 last, they were not aware that they would end up turning the spotlight on Goa as a Hindutva laboratory. The explosives went off prematurely because of the crude assembling of gelatin sticks and the improper fitting of the timer device.

Patil and Naik, both dead, were members of Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindu organisation with substantial following in the Ramnathi and Ponda regions and a few adjoining pockets. The police said the Madgaon (or Margoa) incident was part of a large Hindu retaliatory programme. Patil was linked to Vikram Vinay Bhave, who was instrumental in triggering the explosions at Thane and Panvel theatres in early 2008.

Fringe Hindu fanatical groups have been active in Goa for a while. The police admitted that though the groups had clear fundamentalist leanings, they never appeared threatening. That the Goa police have little experience in handling terrorism gave these elements more room to go about their designs. The Sanstha could also rope in foreign sympathizers to its folds. Now people have come to know the existence of a French family within the premises of the Sanstha following a post-blast inquiry. The police are grappling with the nuances of the case. A Nagpur factory marking on the gelatin sticks has given some leads. The special investigation team has questioned top Sanstha functionaries, including managing trustee Virendra Marathe, founder Jayant Athawale and Prithiviraj Hazare, editor of the organisation’s mouthpiece ‘Sanstha Prabhat’.

Police investigations now revealed that the Sanatan Sanstha was also involved in the recent pre-Assembly elections communal clashes that had taken place in Sangli and Kolhapur districts of Maharashtra. Sangli Superintendent of Police, Krishna Prakash has told the media that “we had information that Sanatan Sanstha members were distributing weapons to Hindus during the riots. We had also seized a four-wheeler of the Sanatan Sanstha carrying swords and chains. Three Sanatan Sanstha members were arrested in the case. (The Indian Express).

In fact, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra and its martyred former Chief, Hemant Karkare has asked for a ban on the Sanatan Sanstha in June 2008 following a terrorist blast in Thane, Maharashtra. The current ATS Chief has confirmed that a proposal for banning this organization was sent to the State government, but he was not aware of its current status. The recommendation came after the ATS arrested six men with alleged links to this outfit. Sources say the suspects involved in the September 29, 2008 Malegaon blast – the members of Abinav Bharat and Jai Vande Mataram Samiti - are from Jabalpur, Bhopal and Kanpur (in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh). However, they conducted conspiracy meetings at Deolali and Nasik (in Maharashtra). Moreover, a Malegaon blast accused, Rakesh Dhawade, allegedly organized a terror training camp for Bajrang Dal members near Sinhgarh Fort in Pune in 2005. Hence, it can be seen that the design has pan-India scale comprising of various outfits of the Sangh Parivar.

In recent years, there were reports linking some RSS affiliates with various bomb blasts across the country. Police investigations in the past few years have noted the involvement of Bajrang Dal or other RSS organizations in the various bomb blasts across the country – in 2003, in Parbhani, Jalna and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra; in 2005, in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh; in 2006, in Nanded in Maharashtra; in January 2008, at the RSS office in Tenkasi, Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu; in August 2008, in Kanpur etc., etc., Subsequently, on September 29, 2008, the ATS rounded up a number of RSS people for questioning and arrest including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and the commandant of the Bhonsala Military School, Nasik.

The issue of imparting military training to Hindus has a long history. It was Savarkar who gave the slogan ‘Hinduise all politics and militarise the Hinduism.’ Inspired by this, Dr. B.S.Moonje, mentor of RSS founder, Dr. Hegdewar, travelled to Italy to meet fascist dictator Mussolini.  The meeting took place on March 19, 1931. His personal diary notes on March 20 reveal his fascination and admiration of the manner in which Italian fascism was training its youth (read storm-troopers) militarily. Upon return to India, Dr. Moonje established the Central Hindu Military Education Society at Nasik in 1935, the precursor to the Bhonsala Military School established in 1937. Golwalkar in 1939, exults Hitler’s purging of the Jews under Nazi fascism and says that it is “a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by.” More recently, following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the RSS tentacles, VHP and Bajrang Dal, had publicly prided themselves at the training imparted to ‘kar sevaks’. The then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh publicly stated that he was proud of the kar sevaks who accomplished the job of demolishing the Babri Masjid more speedily and efficiently than any professional contractor.

In this context, the pleas by the RSS and its affiliates not to use the term Hindu militancy or terrorism are indeed, mysterious. Clearly, no religious community, as a whole, can be held responsible for the terrorist activities of individuals belonging to it. However, should this not apply to all religions? Not according to the RSS. At the recent Akhila Bhaarateeya Karyakaarini Mandali Baitak, October 17-18, 2008, it adopted a resolution titled ‘curb Islamic terrorism with an iron hand.’ Apart from such double standards, this resolution showers praise on the police force in Maharashtra and elsewhere particularly the ATS ‘for their successful actions.’ This is now turning out to be very embarrassing for the RSS as it is the same ATS that has now acted rightly in the country’s interests, against Hindutva terrorist outfits.

Terrorism has no religion. It is simply anti-national and hence non-negotiable and not acceptable. Terrorism of all hues only feed and strengthen each other. In the process, they destroy the very unity and integrity of one country. This larger pernicious ideological methods of using terror as an instrument of political mobilization is widening its footprint. Terror whipped through communal polarization or regional chauvinism to garner larger electoral support is the surest recipe to tear asunder India’s complex social fabric. To safeguard and strengthen modern India’s secular democratic foundations, it is imperative that such policies are defeated.

In this context, the fact that such fundamentalist and fascist forces became hyperactive ever since the secular and democratic UPA government took office at the Centre, cannot be wished away. There seems to be a design to discredit the UPA rule in the eyes of the international community and cause chaos domestically. Hence it becomes imperative for the secular and democratic forces to close their ranks and safeguard and strengthen the UPA government at the Centre.              

(08-11-09)