A graduate of electronics engineering from a private college in Pune, Sanatan Sanstha member Sarang Dilip Akolkar alias Kulkarni, has been missing since he was named an accused in a bomb blast in Madgaon, Goa on October 16, 2009. A prime suspect in the 2013 murder of anti-superstition activist Dr Narendra Dabholkar, Akolkar has remained untraceable to this day despite several attempts by investigators.
Before he went missing, Akolkar, who is now in his 40s, worked as a full-time activist of the Sanatan Sanstha and was appointed the Pune district convener of its sister outfit, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS).
He co-ordinated several campaigns launched by the HJS in Pune, including one in June 2009 against the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire, claiming that the film showed Hindus in a bad light. A resident of Shaniwar Peth, he was visible during various public meetings and press conferences of the Sanatan Sanstha and HJS.
As per police records, the Sanatan Sanstha was opposed to a Narkasur effigy competition in Goa’s Madgaon. On October 16, 2009, the eve of Diwali, its members Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik, then residing in Goa, were allegedly carrying a bomb on a scooter to plant it near the competition venue when it exploded prematurely, leading to their death.
The police arrested six Sanatan Sanstha members in connection with the blast, while Akolkar, Rudra Patil of Sangli, and Jay Prakash alias Anna of Mangalore were named wanted accused and continue to remain on the run. The probe was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
As per the submission made by the police before the court, Akolkar was among the suspects, including Malgonda and Yogesh, who had allegedly “prepared IEDs” and conducted “test blasts” on the hill behind the house of one Laxmikant Naik in Talaulim village of Goa between “August 26 and 28, 2009.”
The NIA however received a major setback as a special court in Mapusa, Goa, acquitted all the six arrested accused in December 2013.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here .