Four bombs, two dead, three others detained.
Friday night's blast in south Goa's Margao town has brought to centrestage the Sanatan Sanstha - a right-wing Hindu group already under investigation for planting bombs in theatres in Thane and Navi Mumbai. The two men who died in the blast are believed to have links with the group. Apparently, they were killed because the bomb went off while they were attempting to plant it.
Goa Police raided the printing press of the Sanatan Sanstha in the morning.
The Goa Government says that three other bombs - three defused in time - were also planted by men with links to this group, which has been against the Narkasur effigy competitions in Goa for giving more importance to the demon Narkasur over Lord Krishna. All the bombs were placed close to competition sites.
The police recovered gelatin sticks made in Nagpur along with a detonator named super 90.
"It was clearly an attempt to disrupt communal peace," said DIG Rajendra Yadav of the Goa Police.
NDTV has learnt that:
- All four bombs had the same composition viz. ammonium nitrate, gelatine sticks, detonators and timer devices.
- The scooter in which the bomb was planted was borrowed from a Sannstha member
- Suresh, who borrowed the scooter, is the brother of one of killed accused Yogesh Naik
- Suresh and the other detainees lived with killed accused Mulgund Patil
Goa's Home Minister Ravi Naik has initiated an inquiry. "They confessed before they died," he said, adding, "We have evidence. Malgunda Patil's mobile had phone numbers of other Sanatan members."
A special team will be formed under an SP ranked officer to investigate the case.
