Goa blast: NIA chargesheets 11 Sanatan members

The National Investigation Agency on Monday filed a charge-sheet against 11 persons from the right-wing Hindu outfit 'Sanatan Sanstha' in connection with the Goa blast that killed two persons.

Those chargesheeted include Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik, who were killed when the bomb went off accidentally at Margao, about 35 km from Panaji, before it could be planted. The charges included criminal conspiracy.

The 3,000-odd page charge sheet filed before the district and sessions court has accused four persons -- who are under arrest -- and five other absconding men in connection with the explosion.

The incident had occurred on October 16, in a busy thoroughfare in Margao, barely a few hundred metres from a place where Chief Minister Digamber Kamat was present. The court will examine 250 witnesses in the case.

Initially, the special investigation team of the Goa police handled the probe, which was taken over by the NIA on November 5, after it emerged that the conspiracy behind the blasts had its trail in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.

The charge sheet has named Vinay Talekar, Vinayak Patil, Dhananjay Ashtekar and Dilip Mangaonkar, all of whom are currently in jail, besides Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik, who were killed when explosives went off on a scooter before they could plant it at a designated place. The absconding accused are Prashant Juvekar, Sarang Akolkar, Jayaprakash alias Anna, Rudra Patil and Prashant Ashtekar.

NIA investigations have revealed that Dhananjay Ashtekar prepared 12 circuits of the explosives in Pune, of which five were brought to Goa in August 2009. The improvised explosive device was prepared with the help of gelatin sticks and exploded in the jungles adjoining Talaulim village behind the house of Laxmikant Naik, brother of deceased accused Yogesh Naik.

The investigators, according to the charge sheet, have found that during the explosion Malgonda Patil, Yogesh Naik, Vinay Talekar, Dhananjay Ashtekar, Prashant Juvekar, Sarang Kulkarni, Jayaprakash and one more person were present. The charge sheet mentions that Dilip Maganokar was active in the conspiracy and unexploded material was found in his possession.