Date:12/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/12/stories/2008091255941200.htm

National

6 chargesheeted in explosion case

Staff Reporter

MUMBAI: Six members of the Sanatan Sanstha, an organisation involved in a blast were chargesheeted by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS),Mumbai, on Thursday. Members of Sanatan Sanstha along with those of Hindu Janjagruti Samiti were on the ATS radar for carrying out an explosion at a cinema hall in Panvel screening the movie ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ and for planting bombs in Thane and Navi Mumbai auditoriums, staging the Marathi play ‘Aamhi Panchpute.’ They alleged that the movie and the play showed Hindu goddesses in a bad light.

Ramesh Hanumant Gadkari (50), Vikram Vinay Bhave (26), Mangesh Dinkar Nikam (34), Santosh Sitaram Angre (26), Hemant Tukaram Chalke (37) and Haribhau Krishna Divekar (44) are in police custody. The charge sheet runs into 1025 pages and includes 195 witnesses, said B.B. Rathod, police inspector in-charge of the case. It lists the following sections: 307, 427, 201, 120 B of the Indian Penal Code, 325 Arms Act, 6 and 9B of the Explosives Act 1884, 3456 of the Explosive Substances Act, and 16, 18 and 23 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Further investigations

The organisation has not been chargesheeted. Only further investigations would help decide on that, said Mr. Rathod.

He said that the conspiracy for the blast was hatched in Panvel and Varsai, Pen, in Maharashtra.

The explosives were assembled in Varsai. Mr. Gadkari and Mr. Bhave were the masterminds.