Pansare murder: Unfazed by arrest, Sanatan Sanstha prepares for festival

An electronics engineering graduate from a private college in Pune, Akolkar has been missing since the blast. An interpol notice had been issued against Akolkar.

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Pansare at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital before he succumbed to wounds. (Source: PTI photo)

The arrest of Sameer Gaikwad from Sangli, in connection with the murder of veteran communist leader Govind Pansare (84) in Kolhapur, has brought the Sanatan Sanstha into the limelight. Gaikwad is a full-time member of the outfit. Pune city remains a major centre for its operation and the Sanstha, unfazed by the arrest, is getting ready for activities for the Ganesh festival.

The Sanstha had been embroiled in controversies earlier. A member, Sarang Dilip Akolkar alias Kulkarni (33), is wanted in connection with a bomb blast in Madgaon in Goa in October 2009. He was among the 12 charged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Madgaon blast case.

An electronics engineering graduate from a private college in Pune, Akolkar has been missing since the blast. An interpol notice had been issued against Akolkar.

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Akolkar was residing at Chintamani heights in Shaniwar Peth. He is also known to have stayed in Wadgaon Dhayari on Sinhagad Road. He worked full time for Sanatan Sanstha and was appointed the Pune district convener of its sister concern Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS).

He had coordinated several HJS campaigns in Pune, including one in June 2009 against Oscar-winning movie The Slumdog Millionaire, claiming that the film showed Hindus in bad light. Now, his house remains locked. His parents have left Pune and are residing in a Sanatan Sanstha ashram.

As per police records, to oppose a Narkasur effigy competition in Madgaon, Goa, on the eve of Diwali, two Sanatan members Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik, then residing in Goa, allegedly carried a bomb in a scooter to plant it near the competition venue. The bomb went off prematurely, killing the duo. The police later arrested six Sanatan Sanstha members.

Akolkar, Rudra Patil of Sangli and Jay Prakash alias Anna of Mangalore are absconding. According to the police, Akolkar was among those who “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.”

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A special court at Mapusa, Goa, had acquitted all the six accused Sanatan members in December 2013.
Sanstha members in Pune believe that Gaikwad, arrested in the Pansare murder case, will be freed by the court.

“Our activists were falsely arrested even earlier. Six Sanatan sadhaks were acquitted by the court in the Goa blast case. We are against terrorism. We work for spreading rich values of Hinduism and spirituality. Falsely implicating our members in criminal cases will not stop our work…,” said Shambhu Gavare, a mechanical engineer who coordinates activities of the Sanstha in Pune.

The Sanstha has its office in Swastishree building in Anand Nagar area on Sinhagad Road. It is mainly used for work related to its mouthpiece Sanatan Prabhat.

The outfit is now preparing for activities for the Ganesh festival. While civic bodies and environmentalists encourage people to immerse idols in water tanks and not the river, the Sanstha has a different stand. It appealed to citizens to immerse idols in flowing water, like the river.

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A member said, “There are ‘spiritual reasons’ behind immersion of Ganesh idols in flowing water. We should not immerse idols in a water tank. We agree that water pollution should be avoided. For that, we appeal people to install Ganesh idols made of pollution-free material.”

Police sources said they keep a watch on Sanstha activities. Vikram Bhave, a Sanatan member convicted in the Thane auditorium blast and currently out on bail, has conducted a few programmes in the city.

Vikram Bhave had penned a book on the Malegaon blast probe that was released in Pune by Dhananjay Desai, chief of radical Hindu Rashtra Sena, who is in jail for alleged involvement in the murder of Muslim techie Mohsin Shaikh in Hadapsar.

Chandan Haygunde

Chandan Haygunde is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With over 20 years of experience in journalism, he is one of the region's most authoritative voices on crime, national security, and legal affairs. Professional Profile Specialization: He specialises covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the ‘Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation’ in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He is at the helm of the widely read weekly series “Pune Crime Files”. He is widely recognized for his deep-dive coverage of the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and the Elgaar Parishad investigation. Key Beats: His portfolio includes covering crimes mainly under the jurisdiction of Pune City, Pune rural and Pimpri Chinchwad Police, along with the sensitive cases from the state, being investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Background: Before his long tenure at The Indian Express, he worked with other Marathi and English publications, giving him a unique grassroots understanding of Maharashtra's socio-political landscape. Awards and Recognition: He got the CMS PANOS Young Environment Journalist Award in January 2014 for investigative reports on illegal activities in Sahyadri Tiger Rerserve. He received the award for outstanding investigative journalism by the Lokmat group in Pune in January 2020, “Missing since 2010, Pune youth a ‘Maoist Commander’ in Chhattisgarh”, which appeared on July 9, 2019. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) In recent months, Chandan’s reporting has focused on high-profile terror case investigations, inter-state firearms racket, leopard movements in Pune city, cyber scams and hearings of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry. 1. High-Profile crimes and terrorism cases “Techie linked to Al-Qaeda preached democracy is against Shariat” (Nov 17, 2025). Reporting on the ongoing investigation into the arrest of IT professional Zubair Hangargekar (37) from Pune for alleged terror links. “The case against Jyoti Jagtap, member of ‘Maoist front’ Kabir Kala Manch and Elgaar Parishad organiser, granted interim bail by apex court” (Nov 20, 2025) Tracking the updates in the high profile Elgaar Parishad case related to the alleged naxal activities in urban areas. “How NIA arrested doctor turned ‘ISIS recruiter’ in Maharashtra terror module case” (Nov 24, 2025) After the arrest of doctors in Delhi Red Fort blast, a report on alleged terror links of a consulting anaesthetist from a Pune hospital. “A year after loco pilot averts tragedy by spotting gas cylinder on railway track, probe still inconclusive” (Dec 8, 2025). Report on the unsolved case of a suspected sabotage incident, which could have derailed a train. “No records of Sambhaji Maharaj’s cremation available: Author, ex-IAS officer Vishwas Patil tells Koregaon Bhima panel” (Dec 1, 2025) Reporting on a sensitive issue related to the Koregaon Bhima violence. 2. Inter-state firearms racket "Pune police swoop down on ‘village of pistols’ in Madhya Pradesh; 36 detained, 50 kilns destroyed" (Nov 22, 2025) "Recce a week before, microplanning: how Pune police raided ‘village of pistols’ in MP" (Nov 24, 2025) Reporting on the illegal gun manufacturing units in Umarti village, Madhya Pradesh 3. Cybercrime & Financial Scams “Pimpri Chinchwad police arrest ‘bank account supplier’ with links to China, nationwide cyber scams" (Nov 27, 2025) An investigative look at the modus opernadi of international cyber-gangs cheating high-earning professionals across the country ‘Your case linked to Pahalgam terrorist’: Pune businessman loses Rs 1.44 crore to fraudster posing as NIA chief" (Oct 18, 2025) Report on the tricks played on cyber scammers cheating people through digital arrest frauds Signature Style: The Investigative Hit Chandan is known for his ability to cultivate deep-cover sources within the police and intelligence agencies. His writing often goes beyond the "police version" of events, providing historical context and identifying systemic lapses. He is particularly respected for his balanced reporting on sensitive communal issues and his persistent tracking of the Maoist urban-link cases, making his columns essential reading for legal experts and policymakers. X (Twitter): @chandan_pune ... Read More

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