The Sanatan Sanstha on October 7 denied involvement any of its members in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh.
Dismissing media reports hinting at such a connection, Chetan Rajhans, a spokesperson of the Goa-based outfit, told the media that no official of the Karnataka Special Investigation Team probing the murder had questioned any Sanatan Sadhak (member), nor visited its ashram.
The Sanstha is headquartered at Ramnathi village of Ponda taluk in South Goa.
He dismissed the media reports implicating the Sanstha’s involvement as a "planned controversy to defame Hindu organisations" adding “some anti-Hindu forces are behind this”.
"Sanatan Sanstha's name is being raked up often after the death of rationalists. It is because we are a soft target" Mr. Rajhans said.
He said that no agency of the Karnataka government had officially issued any statement naming any “missing” Sanatan Sanstha member as suspect. "No one has issued official press release. Home Minister has not issued a statement. So this claim is on what basis?" he said asserting that no SIT official visited the Sanstha ashram in Goa nor had any of its members been questioned.
Some media reports earlier this week had claimed that Sarang Akolkar alias Sarang Kulkarni, Jay Prakash alias Anna and Praveen Linkar were on the SIT radar in connection with Lankesh murder.
The Sanstha spokesperson said that the outfit had condemned the murder and said that several angles had cropped up during the investigation, including theories involving Naxalites and family members and that of defamation cases slapped against the journalists.
"We have only one demand — that the investigation agencies should probe the case without any political pressure. If the investigation agencies seek co-operation, we are fully ready to co-operate," Mr. Rajhans said.
