MUMBAI – Indian police arrested three Hindu hardliners who had planned tolaunch massive terror attacks during upcoming events related to their ownreligion and others to blame Muslims for terrorism in India.
The Maharashtra ATS has arrested three person identified as Vaibhav Raut(40), Sharad Kalaskar (25), both from Nalla Sopara near Palghar andSudhanav Gondhalekar (39) from Pune, who belong to radical organisations.The security officials also recovered a huge cache of weapons and explosivefrom their possession.
An Indian online media outletlinkclaimedthat they had allegedly planned to target six theatres and at least 4-5Hindu worship places named Ganapati mandops.
They wanted to create blasts in different parts of Maharashtra includingMumbai, Pune, Sangli and Solapur during the upcoming Eid and Ganapatifestivals and subsequently put blames of the attacks on Muslims, it quotedpolice sources, as saying.
The alleged terrorists had decided to carried out attack at such placeswhich are close to localities of Muslim community as it will directly raisefingers on the minority community
The detained suspects had also aimed at targeting the liberal Hindu figuresof the society during the Ganpati festivals.
Goa-based writer Damodar Mauzo was among those targeted, the online mediaclaimed, adding that Mauzo has been given police protection since the last3 weeks by the government following threats to his life.
The Maharashtra ATS has not officially confirmed the information regardingthe targets set by the arrested persons, but said that they wereinvestigating the case from all aspects.
However, the ATS officially said that the arrested suspects were planningbomb blast in the state with an aim to spark off communal riots.
The report further claimed that the alleged terrorists were trying to raisefunds to purchase weapons, bombs and bullets for realising their heinousplan of series of attacks.
A suspect, Vaibhav Raut, is reportedly co-founder of a violent cowprotection group formed in 2014. The outfit is allegedly associates withredical Hindutva organizations.
Gondhalekar is connected with the Shri Shiv Pratisthan, spearheaded by thecontroversial 85-year-old Sambhaji Bhide alias Bhide Guruji, which haspatronage of the PM Narendra Modi, Indianscoops.com reported. Modi hasopenly praised Bhide and called him his guru or mentor.
Nearly 20 other associates or suspects have been interrogated to ascertaintheir connections in other parts of the state or outside.