Prime accused glorified as ‘saint’

2008 THANE THEATRE BOMBING

A prime accused in the 2008 bombing of Thane's Gadkari Rangayatan, Ramesh Gadkari, was glorified as a 'saint' in an article published in the right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha's mouthpiece, Sanatan Prabhat. The spokesperson of the right-wing outfit said, "It is no crime to publish a person's journey to become a saint, who religiously took a spiritual path."

Ramesh and his aide Mangesh Nikam were found guilty for their alleged roles in planting bombs in the parking lots of theatres in Thane and Vashi, which injured seven persons. The motive behind the blasts was to deter the producer of 'Amhi Pachpute', a Marathi play, as the Sanatan Sanstha objected to it on the grounds that figures from Hindu mythology were being shown in poor light.

An article published in Sanatan Prabhat on August 27 painted Ramesh as a saint and spoke of how he began his journey from virtually nothing and went on to attain enlightenment by following the path of spiritual advancement. In the article, Ramesh claims he always wanted to stand out of the crowd, and by following the path shown by a saint, he too became one after practising the virtues preached by the Sanatan Sanstha.

When questioned, the spokesperson for Sanatan Sanstha, Chetan Rajhans, said, "Ramesh was cleared of all charges slapped on him by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). I see no qualms in carrying an article where Ramesh has been felicitated as a 'saint', because the title has been conferred upon him."

Rajhans added, "The Supreme Court judgment clearly states Ramesh Gadkari was acquitted of all charges, and was in fact, not related to terror activities. The witnesses were also tutored to support a bogus case cooked up by the ATS officials in the court."

When a senior ATS official was asked about the allegations of tutoring witnesses, he refused to comment, saying, "These allegations are levelled against the force every now and then, which only shows how guilty they are."

An article published in Sanatan Prabhat on August 27, painted Ramesh as a saint and read how he began his journey from ‘nothing to attaining spirituality by taking a path lit by spiritual advancement