JOIN US"Patil made certain statements to police before his death naming people who were involved (in the blast) while he was being shifted from a hospital in Margaon to Panaji," Naik said on Tuesday. Patil, a senior functionary of Hindu right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha, suspected behind the Goa blast, was also allegedly involved in last year's explosions in Thane, Vashi, Panvel and Navi Mumbai.
The IEDs carried by Patil and his accomplice Yogesh Naik had exploded near Grace Church in Margao town on October 16. After the first blast, police had defused three more bombs across the state. Both Patil and Naik later succumbed to injuries. The home minister, however, refused to divulge the details of Patil's dying declaration, saying it would be detrimental to the investigation.
However, Superintendent of Police Atmaram Deshpande, who is also the spokesman for Goa police, said he was not aware of any such dying declaration by Patil. "As per my knowledge there is no dying declaration by any of the accused".
Even five days after the blast, police have not made any arrest although several people, including those of Sanatan Sanstha have been questioned by special investigation team (SIT) formed under Superintendent of Police Omprakash Kurtarkar. Several raids have been conducted by Goa police and Maharahstra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), including the one at Sanatan Sanstha ashram at Ramnathi.