CALCUTTA: The Ananda Marga has described the nationwide raids conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at its centers on March 2nd, as a desperate attempt by the authorities to frame them up in the Purulia arms drop case in the absence of any hard evidence.
‘Around six computers, an unused laptop, some floppy disks, fax machines, diaries, books, magazines, and publicity material were seized during the raids, An Italian national, Marcu Bramadi, and three others wore picked up for questioning by the CBI. ;
A spokesman of the controversial religious sect at its Tiljala headquarters in Calcutta, Swami Krishnarcshwarananda Avadhoot, and Sunday said that it was amusing that the CBI should have thought of raiding their centers nearly 75 days after the arms were dropped by the Latvian AN26 aircraft in Purulia. “Even the dumbest investigator knows that nothing incriminating can be recovered after such a time lag. Besides assuming that we were involved, are we so thickheaded to leave precious evidence lying around at our centers despite full knowledge that political enemies like the CPM have been crying for our blood.”
In such a situation, the CBI had made a laughing stock of itself by seizing a couple of computers, floppies, books and publishing material, and calling the raid a breakthrough, “I don’t know how credible a charge sheet they can expect to frame on the basis of such seizures, But if they can frame an innocent man like L.K, Advani in the hawala scandal, then why not us.”
Quito obviously, said the swami the CBI was under political pressure from parties like the CPM which had been trying to implicate them merely because the group’s headquarters was situated at Ananda nagar in Purulia. It is apparent that the CBI has been groping in the dark for over three months, ‘and no credible lead seems to be in ‘sight. Blaming it on the Marga offered respite, and perhaps a diversion from the hawala scandal.
‘The Avadhoot said the CPM had been itching to hit back ever since the Marga had announced its plans of taking the party’s mouthpiece, Ganashakti, to court over the slanderous campaign conducting against the sect in its columns, Recalled in the front page articles were instances of the alleged attempt made by the Marga on the lives of Chief Minister Jyoti Basu (at Patna railway station in 1991), and some other political leaders, when the truth was that the courts had absolved them of every single case.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 6, 1996
