Sanatan Sanstha asks followers to refrain from crime

Embroiled in the controversy after Margao blast, Sanatan Sanstha has asked its seekers with anti-social bent of mind to leave the organisation and even refrain from staying at its ashrams.

Sanatan's managing trustee Virendra Marathe in a notice titled "There is no place for such people in Sanatan" published in its mouthpiece Sanatan Prabhat has said that "seeker having any type of anti-social attitude should not stay with Sanatan." Also, they should not have any association with sanatan, he added.

The appeal came close on the heels of two of its seekers Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik who were killed in the Margao blast on October 16. While police have claimed them as the accused, Sanatan has termed their death as "murder" by planting explosives in their scooter.

Marathe said that "if such attitude is noticed in any seeker, other seeker should promptly report it to the responsible seeker. The responsible seeker should take steps to ensure complete cessation of their association with Sanatan."The organisation has also decided to send back any such person residing in any Sanatan Ashram.

The two-decade-old institution's credibility was suspected following Margao blast. Malgonda Patil, one of the accused in the blast, was a senior functionary of the institution in Goa.

Marathe, addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Panaji, admitted that Malgonda was staying in the ashram, even a night before the blast. He left ashram the following morning, he said. However, Marathe said the organisation has no knowledge of what Malgonda and Yogesh were doing at the blast spot on October 16. Police's investigation in the blast centres around Sanstha's activities.

"They (police) have searched Sanatan ashrams and house of seekers and have also confiscated items from there," Marathe said.