Sanatan Sanstha threatens India Today reporters over a sting

Right-wing group Sanatan Sanstha, whose name has been allegedly linked to the murders of progressive thinkers and terror blasts in the past, is notorious for posting controversial content on its website and defending its members who have been allegedly linked to terror plots through its wide team of lawyers. The group is in the news again, this time when it called two reporters of India Today “terrorists” on its website after India Today conducted a sting on two Sanatan members. The sting operation was a part of a three-month-long investigation conducted by India Today reporters in which the two Sanatan members, Mangesh Dinkar Nikam, 45, and Haribhau Krishna Divekar, 58, were seen accepting their alleged roles in the 2008 bomb blasts in Maharashtra.

When the sting was released on Monday, Santan Sanstha posted an article on its website headlined “Initiate immediate action against suspected terrorists roaming in Maharashtra: Adv Punalekar”. The website also carried the photos of two reporters with a public advisory saying, “Janhit main Jaari, SAVDHAAN!, Yeh do vyakti aapko dikhai de to nazdiki police Thane mein ittelah kar dijiye, Yeh Hindu ladkon ko paison se behla-fuslakar aatankwadi kaam karwana chahte hain”.

Both Nikam and Divekar were acquitted in 2011. According to the chargesheet prepared by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), Nikam and Divekar along with Vikram Bhave, Santosh Angre, Ramesh Gadkari and Hemant Chalke were involved in conspiring the bomb blasts outside Gadkari Rangayatan in Thane and Vishnudas Bhave auditorium in Vashi, and Cineraj Theatre in Panvel where a bomb was defused.

Gadkari and Bhave were convicted while the remaining four—including Nikam and Divekar—were acquitted. The blasts were planned to protest against the Marathi play Amhi Pachpute, which hardliners alleged depicted Hindu gods and goddesses in a derogatory way, and Bollywood film Jodha Akbar which they said distorted facts.

According to the India Today sting, Nikam, a resident of Satara, accepted that he planted the bomb at a theatre in Vashi as the Marathi play was making fun of Hindu gods and goddesses. Nikam mentioned in the sting that they had protested against the play but when nothing happened, they tried to strike fear by planting bombs. The sting also said that Divekar, a resident of Raigad, accepted his role in the terror plot and had agreed to keep a revolver, 20 gelatin sticks and 23 detonators in his possession for five to six days.

The sting was released on October 8 after which a series of letters and press releases were issued by the Sanatan Sanstha condemning the sting operation.

Sanatan Sanstha’s website says that lawyer Sanjiv Punalekar, the national secretary of their legal wing Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad, wrote a letter on September 27 to senior officials of the Maharashtra government, stating that two persons were trying to “gather information” on the activities of the Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janjagruti Samiti under the guise of “exposing injustice done to Hindus and extending them monetary help”.

In the letter, Punalekar said, “Two persons recently met few of those acquitted from Thane, Vashi and Margao bomb blast cases and tried to gather information. In many cases of alleged ‘Hindu terrorism’, the accused have been acquitted but the cases are yet to be solved. So the question arises if the real masterminds of these cases have sent these people to gather information. These persons had the addresses and current contact numbers of the above people. These persons who were dressed as Hindus could be Pakistanis or even ISIS terrorists.”

The group’s website says Punalekar has asked the government to trace and arrest the two persons within seven days of receiving the letter and that they should be “rigorously interrogated”. It says after seven days, the letter and photos of the two persons will be published on social media with an appeal to the public to help nab them, and that the government is responsible for any “untoward incident that may occur from this”.

Rahul Kanwal, news director of India Today, slammed the Sanatan Sanstha on Twitter for its “intimidatory tactics”.

Chetan Rajhans, the spokesperson of the Sanatan Sanstha, also released a press release accusing India Today and Aaj Tak of attempting to paint the organisation as a terrorist organisation. The press release said the sting video is doctored. It continued, “The concerned journalists introduced themselves under false names. The journalists also lured them with monetary gains. Since Mangesh Nikam realised the doubtful conduct of these journalists, he gave them some false information to open up them for more talks and shot their photographs without their knowledge.”

The press release added: “Since these ‘journalists’ contacted many Hindu accused in the same doubtful manner, their advocates had made a written complaint against them with the Government and Police … After the knowledge of this complaint was revealed, it is learnt that an attempt was made to lure the advocates with the amount of ₹2 crore by visiting them. It is now learnt that the India Today TV channel paid some amount to the accused who are declared as absconding. We are conducting a detailed inquiry in this matter…”

Sanatan Sanstha also released a video of Mangesh Nikam in which he demanded that Rahul Kanwal, Rajdeep Sardesai and the two reporters go for “a narco test” with him. In the video, he says, “I got suspicious when those two reporters came to have a conversation with me using fake identities. I photographed them as I was doubtful about them and told them some fake stories. Later, I informed my lawyer about the conversation with those two reporters who in turn had sent complaints regarding the matter to the chief minister, home minister, CBI and ATS. Those reporters have edited my conversation with them and have doctored it.”

When Newslaundry contacted Sanjiv Punalekar, the head of Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad who sent the letter to the Maharashtra government, he said, “I don’t know officially whether those two persons are journalists or not. I have written to Maharashtra chief minister, DGP of Maharashtra, ATS and CBI about the suspicious activities of those two persons on September 27 but they have not taken action in this regard. If those persons were real terrorists, then what would have happened? Everybody is sleeping, and this country has been run by anti-nationals. We are still suspicious of them and they need to be investigated.”

Newslaundry questioned Punalekar about posting the photos of the two journalists online while calling them Pakistanis and ISIS terrorists, saying it could have led to an attack on the reporters. Punalekar said, “I have been informed by some journalists that the two persons who conducted the sting on those acquitted in the bomb blast case were journalists. Those two persons have communicated some nonsense to the acquitted persons and offered them money … If they are from India Today they should come and clarify. And if in case they are lynched, I will file a case against Rahul Kanwal as he will be responsible for that. Once I am informed in writing about them, I will immediately remove that post from our site.”

Although the Sanatan Sanstha has been linked to terror plots and murders, Goa’s PWD minister and leader of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party  Sudin Dhavlikar, came out in support of the group a day after the release of the India Today sting. Dhavlikar said the Sanatan Sanstha is working for Hindu culture and religion, not against the country. Dhavlikar also admitted that his family has associations with the organisation.

It’s significant to note that lawyer Sanjiv Punalekar was recently felicitated by a Shiv Sena MP, Sanjay Raut, for his work. According to Arvind Pansare, a journalist with the group’s newspaper Santan Prabhat, Raut appreciated the work done by the Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad and said their lawyers are fighting for innocent  Hindu activists. Pansare said, “When lawyers can be availed for Yakub Menon and Ajmal Kasab, then why should Hindu activists arrested on alleged terror charges not get lawyers?”

Newslaundry also tried to contact Rahul Kanwal but he was unavailable for comment. According to sources, India Today has filed a complaint with the Mumbai police and Deven Bharti, joint commissioner (law and order) of the Mumbai police, against the Sanatan Sanstha. They are looking into the matter.