The office of the extremist right-wing, anti-Brahmin Sambhaji Brigade received an anonymous packet containing a suspected explosive substance and a detonator-like object.
The parcel also contained paper cuttings of Sanatan Prabhat, a mouthpiece the Sanatan Sanstha, another radical extremist Hindutva outfit.
An FIR was registered at the Vishrambaug police station by Ajay Bhosale, state convenor of the Sambhaji Brigade. The Brigade, known for its opposition towards Brahmins, , shot to notoriety in 2004 when it vandalised the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) in Pune in protest against American scholar James Laine’s book on Chhatrpati Shivaji.
According to the police, the paper cuttings had some names crossed in red ink which included that of a politician, a journalist and a Sambhaji Brigade office bearer.
According to the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), the explosive substance appeared to be gelatine. A chemical analysis was on to determine exactly what it was, said sources.
A case has been registered under Sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Explosives Act.
Meanwhile, the Sanatan Prabhat promptly issued a statement stating that someone was trying to malign the paper’s image by sending the paper cuttings .
