The Kohlapur police on Wednesday took Dr Asha Thakkar from the Sanatan Sanstha ashram in Goa in custody in connection with the drugs recently seized at the Panvel ashram of the right-wing organisation. The police has also taken two sadhvis in custody from the Panvel ashram.
According to the police, Dr Thakkar under the instruction of Virendra Tawade — in custody for his alleged role in the murder of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar — used to give psychiatric medicines to particular devotees. The police wants to find out if they were hypnotising devotees by giving medicines through tirtha (holy water) to execute their plan through the devotees. The police also suspects that Dr Thakkar knows details about the murder of Govind Pansare, a rationalist and CPI leader.
A few days ago, the police seized restricted drugs at the Panvel ashram of Sanatan Sanstha. Officials are probing where these drugs came from and how they were being used in the ashram.
Meanwhile the police got the medical check-up of Tawade, the second accused in the Pansare murder case, done in Kohlapur.
The police also questioned Shradhha Pawar, wife of Vinay Pawar, the third accused in the Pansare murder case. She said she has not had any communication with Pawar since he disappeared in the aftermath of the 2009 Madgoan bomb blasts in Goa. However, the police suspects that Shradhha knows details about the Pansare murder but is not sharing it with them.
