Govt denies permissions to anti-Sanatan and pro-Sanatan rallies
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 09 October 2015 15:26 IST
Goa government has denied permission to hold public demonstrations of both the groups -– pro-Sanatan and anti-Sanatan, in Ponda on Sunday 11 October.
Ponda is becoming a battle ground with forces supporting and opposing Sanatan Sanstha rallying around in this central town of Goa.
Two groups of citizens have organised rallies – in the morning to support Sanatan Sanstha and in the evening to oppose the Hindu organisation – on Sunday.
“I have denied permission for both the rallies, though at different time on the same day, since it may create tension in the locality”, Ponda deputy collector Johnson Fernandes told goanews.com.
A demand to ban Sanatan Sanstha and to shut down its Ramnathi Ashram is rising in view of Sanatan Sadhak Sameer Gaikwad being arrested by the police in the case of Govind Pansare’s murder.
With Saurabh Lotlikar, president of Ramnath Yuvak Sangh, taking initiative, a morcha-cum-public meeting has been planned on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 3.30 pm, demanding ban on Sanatan.
As per the appeal circulated in this regard, the march would be held from Ramnathi temple to Kapileshwari and back, followed by a public meeting at Ramnathi.
The 22 speakers include BJP MLA Vishnu Wagh, Congress MLA Alex Reginald Lourenco, AAP leader Valmiky Naik, trade union leaders Christopher Fonseca, Raju Mangeshkar, Suhas Naik, writers Nagesh Karmali, Pundalik Naik, N Shivdas, environmentalists Ramesh Gawas, Swati Kerkar and several others from the cross section of the society.
On the other hand, Sanatan leader Dr Manoj Solanki, under the banner of National Hindu Movement, had announced a demonstration at Ponda old bus stand from 11 am onwards.
The demonstration is basically aimed at garnering support in favour of Sanatan Sanstha, which is demanded to be banned and its headquarters Ashram at Ramnathi be shut down.
“The government should take firm stand against the imposition of likely ban on a patriotic organisation like Sanatan Sanstha without making it a sacrificial lamb”, states Dr Solanki.
According to Deputy Collector Fernandes, he cannot take a risk when the anti-Sanatan meeting is at Ramnathi and Sanatan’s headquarters is also at Ramnathi.
“Though timings of their actions are different, the assembling would start since morning and I have no enough police force to tackle any eventuality due to the football match the same day”, said Fernandes.
He however told goanews.com that he has no problem in allowing the actions of both the groups if they are held on different days.
Fernandes also says that Lotlikar changed the venue last minute from Indra Market to Ramnathi without informing the authorities.
Permission to the National Hindu Movement is also denied by the police, he informed, while the police had earlier granted permission to anti-Sanatan rally.
