NIA looks into Sanatan Sanstha's source of funding

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the source of funding of Sanatan Sanstha, a right-wing Hindu group whose members have been named accused in the 2009 Margao bomb blast.

The charge-sheet filed by the agency has said that as part of the Margao blast probe, the funding pattern of the organisation is also being looked into.

Investigations have been undertaken into the funding of Sanatan Sanstha and its sister organisations, and also the inter-state ramification of the incident (blast)," according to the 3,000-odd page charge sheet filed on May 17.

The charge sheet filed in a district court here has named 11 accused, who according to NIA, were linked to the outfit. These include two persons who died in the low-intensity blast on October 16, 2009 while allegedly transporting explosives on a scooter.

The Sanstha's sister organisations have come under  scanner as Malgonda Patil, the main accused who died in the accidental explosion, was a managing trustee of Dharma Prachar Sabha, an affiliate of the outfit which has its headquarters at Ramnathi village, about 30km from here.

"He was an active sadhak (seeker) who looked after the management of Sanatan Sanstha at Ponda," the document said.

Investigations have revealed that Patil met another accused at Ramnathi Ashram to discuss the blast, the chargesheet said.