Accusing sections of the media and the police of deliberately ignoring the issue of Hindutva extremism, journalist and author Subhash Gatade said in cases such as the Malegaon blast, which was attributed to the Hindutva outfit Abhinav Bharat, the police never tried to get to the masterminds.

Addressing a gathering of journalists and activists at the Alternative Law Forum here recently, Mr. Gatade said: “While dealing with issues of Hindutva terrorism, investigating agencies are reluctant to name organisations whose activists are found to be involved in terror acts.”

He gave the example of the Mecca Masjid blasts where Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists Devender Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Ramji Kalasangra, Sandeed Dange and Sunil Joshi were mentioned as accused in the CBI chargesheet.

Yet, the investigating agency never named the organisation to which they were affiliated.

Obfuscation

Every time a Hindutva terror module is uncovered, there is a concerted effort by the police and the media to project the accused as “fringe” or “rogue” elements who have strayed away from the Hindutva ideology.

Drawing from his latest book, Godse’s Children – Hindutva Terror in India , Mr. Gatade alleged that Hindu extremist groups are slowly moving away from the terror of the riot to the terror of the bomb. “It costs less, the risk is also less but the impact is huge.”

Mutalik’s claim

Speaking of Karnataka, he expressed shock at the fact that Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik continues to enjoy freedom despite openly admitting (in an interview to a news portal) that his organisation runs arms and ammunition training camps for Hindu youth.

Quoting a more recent example, he said that the police had not properly investigated the blast outside the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Malleswaram.

Quoting from articles that appeared in the media, he said that the RSS leader whose SIM card was used to trigger the blast was never properly investigated by the police.

He also mentioned the 2008 Hubli blast case which the police traced to Hindutva activist Nagraj Jambhagi and said: “Of course, although the police did not divulge the political connections of the group and share the important information about its alleged Sri Ram Sena connections, anyone familiar with the Hubli-Dharwad region would have many other details about the gang of criminals, their political affiliations and their other deeds.”

‘The police never tried to get to the masterminds in cases such as the Malegaon blast’

‘Hindu extremist groups are moving away from the terror of the riot to the terror of the bomb’