New Delhi:
A terror plot that rocked Goa on the eve of Diwali on October 16, 2009. An attack for which 11 members of the Hindu radical group Sanatan Sanstha have now been chargesheeted.
The second terror strike after the Malegaon blast of 2008 linked to a Hindu group.
The chargesheet accuses 11 members of the Sanstha of plotting serial attacks in Goa. Four arrested accused will stand trial, while five are absconding and two died in the blast.
The prosecution claims that the motive was to attack groups that took part in the Narakasura competition, a local Hindu festival where effigies are burnt, and was severely opposed by the Sanstha.
Once the Sanstha's members were arrested last year, its leaders had launched a public campaign, claiming the group was being maligned.
While the chargesheet names individual members of the group, the prosecution says there is no evidence to suggest that its leaders were part of the conspiracy.
"Government will holistically look at the links of the Abhinav Bharat, Ram Sena and its links with the RSS. There was a clear premeditated design to polarise the society, and it's nexus with the RSS ahead of general elections. Any organisation with terror links has to be banned," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari.
In the Malegaon blast case of 2008 as well, while individual members of the Abhinav Bharat were chargesheeted, the group leaders were not named, raising questions about whether there will be greater scrutiny into the larger links and networks of these fringe organizations.