dailyO
Voices

How Sanatan Sanstha branded us 'terrorists' for exposing it in our investigative report on terror attacks

Advertisement
DailyBite
DailyBiteOct 26, 2018 | 18:17

How Sanatan Sanstha branded us 'terrorists' for exposing it in our investigative report on terror attacks

It has been more than two weeks now that the two of us have been branded 'terrorists' by an outfit whose members are under investigation for four cases of bomb blast, four murders of rationalists and journalists, and for amassing a huge cache of explosives, arms and ammunition.

On October 8, India Today TV and AajTak aired a special news investigation, exposing Sanatan Sanstha, a right-wing radical organisation.

Advertisement

As part of the investigation, the two of us met several members of the organisation — especially those who had been acquitted in cases involving terrorist activities. As it was announced that the story will be aired by the evening of October 8, members of Sanatan Sanstha sprung into action. The first thing they came out with was a video statement from their lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar. Punalekar, in his statement, said two suspicious persons met the organisation members and were planning to carry out terror acts and trying to recruit their members for the same.

Punalekar also alleged that two "suspicious men" met him outside his office and even "threatened" him for writing to the chief minister against their "suspicious activities". He went on to further allege that he was offered a whopping Rs 2 crore to give a statement against the Sanstha.  

When they saw that this didn’t stop the channel from airing the story, they went a step ahead and, this time, posted our photos online.

These photos were taken at a remote village in Satara by one of their members when we met him while conducting our three-month-long news investigation.

Advertisement

The disclaimer said: "Issued in Public interest. Attention. If you see these two men then inform the local police station. They are trying to lure Hindu youth to carry out terror activities."

Another disclaimer said: "Take this money and become a terrorist. I am from Australia and am trying to help Hindus. These men could be with Pakistan’s ISI or ISIS terrorists. They are trying to recruit Hindu youth for terror activities."

sanatan-embed_102618023355.jpg
Haribhau Krishnna Divekar (right) and Mangesh Dinkar Nikam (left) have admitted to their role in the 2008 bomb blasts in theatres across Maharashtra. (Credit: Screengrab)

The pictures were uploaded on Sanatan Sanstha’s websites, www.sanatan.org and www.hindujagruti.org.

The photos were later shared by Sanatan members on Twitter, Facebook and various social media platforms.

This was clearly done on purpose to intimidate us and the channel from airing the story, but the channel went ahead with the story that exposed the activities of those acquitted by a lower court in the 2008 bomb blast cases — in Thane and Vashi — executed and planted by members of the outfit to protest against the screening of Jodhaa Akbar and a play Aamhi Pachpute.

During a discussion on our channel, as our editors pointed out the fact about the photographs posted online by the outfit members —declaring investigative journalists as 'terrorists' — a key Sanatan Sanstha spokesperson, Ramesh Shinde, was also present.

Advertisement

But nothing deterred their members from sharing the malicious content further on social media.

This was being done evidently to intimidate us and the editorial team at India Today TV and AajTak from chasing the story ahead. The pictures remained — and went viral on social media the next day.

sanatan-690_09111804_102618023449.jpg
Under a cloud: A signboard of the Sanatan Sanstha ashram near Ponda in Goa. (Source: Reuters)

Soon, our family, friends, colleagues started inundating us with phone calls. They were naturally worried about our safety, considering the reputation of the outfit involved. A school friend who had not been in touch for several years reached out and shared the same pictures with the same disclaimer branding the two of us as ISI-backed terrorists.

When he was told that it was an act of intimidation by the Sanatan Sanstha whose subversive activities have been exposed by us through our investigation, he too warned us to be careful of the dangerous design. He was worried that this could even lead to our lynching by mobs suspecting us of being terrorists.

It was perhaps with such an intention that the pictures were posted. While speaking to India Today and AajTak during the same show, when asked by one of our editors, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti spokesperson Ramesh Shinde said that if something happened to us because of the pictures, they will hold the state government responsible.

Some Sanatan Sanstha members went to the extent of threatening some of our editors, clearly stating that the 'two reporters' were playing with fire.

All this while, the pictures kept circulating on social media wherein we were branded as 'terrorists' waiting to execute an attack.

These veiled threats and witch-hunting have naturally affected us.

Now while using public transport, it feels as if people are staring at us. Even if someone is throwing a glance at you, you feel as if they are talking about you —the pictures posted online and the threats and abusive comments play in the back of your mind.

What if a mob corners us and attacks? What if we get lynched in a crowded local train?

Amid all this, a complaint was filed under sections 500, 501, 505 (1) B for defamation against the two websites at a local police station.

The complaint was non-cognizable. So, to investigate further, the police had to seek the court’s permission. The court, on the other hand, asked the police for a detailed investigation. So, the pictures remained online and were circulated even more on social media.

A few groups representing journalists did come forward and issued statements, citing this as an attack on media — an attempt not only to intimidate two journalists but also to muzzle the larger media.

The Editors Guild of India, however, didn’t feel it was necessary to condemn the Sanatan Sanstha's act against journalists.

But it did issue strong statements following I-T raids on a media baron's offices.

Anyhow, legal proceedings have been initiated to pull down the pictures from the websites but, as we all know, content floated and circulated on social media never disappears completely. They keep spreading one way or the other.

lankesh_100718053920_102618022540.jpg
Threats against rationalists and journalists were growing. Yet, they were killed in public places. No one saved them. (Photo: DailyO)

A close friend — who has been reporting on the Sanatan Sanstha's activities for a decade and whose editor was once on the hitlist of the radical outfit — has suggested that we change our daily routine. Change the routes we take to office and home as well as our timings, avoid going to public places that attract large crowds and, if need be, share locations wherever we are going.

He is afraid the Sanatan members could target us — like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh were targetted.

Last updated: October 29, 2018 | 15:39
IN THIS STORY
Please log in
I agree with DailyO's privacy policy