Margao Bomb Blast - Charges against 4 Sanathan Saunstha Members

Panjim 14 July: A court here Wednesday ordered framing of charges of waging war against the government against four members of Hindu rightwing group Sanatan Sanstha (SS) in connection with the 2009 Diwali-eve blast which claimed two lives.

The four members of the SS who have been named in the chargesheet are Vinay Talekar, Vinayak Patil, Dhananjay Ashtekar and Dilip Mangaonkar. Five others are still absconding, according to police. The Margao district and sessions court has ordered that charges against the four accused should be framed under penal provisions dealing with waging war against the government, collecting arms and mischief.

Charges have also been ordered to be framed under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act. Criminal conspiracy was also among the offences covered under these provisions.

Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik, the two SS members who were ferrying detonator-rigged gelatin sticks to a crowded place on Diwali eve, died when the explosive contraption they were carrying exploded accidentally in Margao town in south Goa, 35 km from here. Nearly 250 witnesses were examined by police in the course of the investigations, which were taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), after being initially handled by Goa Police