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COMMUNAL HARMONY

Spreading communal harmony

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OPINIONS & EDITORIALS

COMMUNAL HARMONY

SPREADING COMMUNAL HARMONY (OCT 14, 2009, TIMES OF INDIA)

Anjuman-e-Hadeeqathul Adab had organized the Eid-e-Milan programme to spread the message of peace, brotherhood and communal harmony. The function commenced with the recital of verses from Quran by Hazrath Moulana Mohamed Luqman Saheb.

Hazrath Moulana Mohamed Zaka Ulla, Khateeb-o-Imam, Masjid-e-Firdose said the holy book Quran helps one lead a peaceful and respectable life and is a guide not only to Muslims, but to all human beings. "Hence, everybody should read, understand and follow this holy book," he added.

Mayor Purshottam said maintaining peace is the need of the hour. On the occasion, people gathered at the venue to observe a minute’s silence in memory of people who died in the floods in North Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Noted Urdu poet Irfan presented a poem penned by him on the recent communal riots of Kyathmaranhalli.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5124770.cms

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NEWS HEADLINES

HINDUTVA CONNECTION IN MARGAO BLASTS UNDER SCANNER (OCT 18, 2009, INDIAN EXPRESS)

Was the Margao blast Goa’s brush with Hindutva terrorism or it was just an act of two individuals, who coincidently had connection with the Hindu Right wing organisation? On record, Sanatan Saunstha has distanced itself from blast in the Margao town on the eve of Diwali festival. But the police investigations have revealed that whatever amount of defence presented by the organisation, the Ashram at Ramnathi, a hub of Saunstha’s activities, cannot remain aloof from the blasts. "We have found certain objectionable material during the raid at Ashram. I can’t divulge anything right now but we have seized certain things," Superintendent of Police (PRO) Atmaram Deshpande told reporters on Saturday. Deshpande’s veiled information came hours after a team of police led by North Goa Superintendent of Police Bosco George raided Sanatan’s palatial Ashram at Ramnathi village near temple town of Ponda, 20 km away from Panaji.

Police sources confirmed that some gadgets, similar to that confiscated from the blast site, were found in the ashram, which at the time of the raid housed 161 people. A blast in Goa’s commercial capital town of Margao had rocked the state on the eve of Diwali. While two persons, owing allegiance to Sanatan Saunstha, were killed in the blast, police had defused three bombs at different parts of the state. The 19-year-old Saunstha, which has spread its tentacles across the state, was under scanner after the blasts. "We condemn the act. It is the unfortunate incident and we are cooperating with the police in their investigations," the press release issued by Saunstha read.

The press note, which appeals the media not to jump to the gun while probe is on, does not speak anything about the two suspects, who died in the explosion. "You cannot hold two members responsible in isolation if they are part of organisation’s doctrine," Deshpande said. Police, however, were quick enough to add that not all the members present in the ashram might know about the bombs. "There must be a core group which was working within," the PRO said.

This is not the first time that Sanatan has a brush with the activities related to terrorism. In 2008, Anti terrorism squad of Maharashtra police had arrested six accused for the involvement in planting Intensive Explosive device (IED) at the auditoriums in Thane, Vashi and a movie theatre in Panvel. The hand of Sanatan Saunstha along with its like-minded organization ‘Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS)’ was suspected in it.