Goa Congress demands ban on Sanatan Sanstha
Panaji, Sep 3: The Congress on Thursday demanded a ban on the Goa-based Sanatan Sanstha, some of whose members have been arrested for allegedly killing and plotting violence against rationalists and writers.
Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar said: "We have demanded this earlier and we are demanding it again. An organisation which kills and plots to kill people in order to eliminate their ideology, has no right to continue.
"Many people attached to these organisation have been arrested and we believe that the Goa government should decide on this soon," Chodankar said.
"We are going to ask the Governor for a ban on the organisation. Goa is a secular state and is a popular world destination. If such an organisation is promoted in Goa, our secular fabric will break and it will be a loss not just to state but to the nation," he added.
Police in Maharashtra and Karnataka have nabbed members of the Sanstha in connection with the murders of rationalists Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi, Gauri Lankesh and others.
The Sanstha denies the charges levelled by the police.
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Bhambri-Goransson's dream run at Indian Wells ends in semifinals
Indian Wells (USA) (PTI): Indian doubles ace Yuki Bhambri and his Swedish partner Andre Goransson's impressive campaign came to an end after losing in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters in California.
The unseeded pair went down 5-7, 7-6(7), 5-10 to France's Arthur Rinderknech and Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in a closely-fought contest that was decided by a tie-breaker.
Bhambri and Goransson started strongly but were edged out in the opening set.
The Indo-Swedish duo fought back to force a decider after clinching a tight second-set in the tie-breaker.
However, Rinderknech and Vacherot held their nerve in the deciding tie-breaker to seal the victory.
Despite the defeat, the tournament marked a significant milestone for the 33-year-old Indian as it was his maiden semifinal appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
Earlier in the tournament, Bhambri and Goransson had produced a strong performance to reach the last-four, defeating the Austrian-Italian pair of Alexander Erler and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 7-6(7).
Their run also ended a two-year wait for an Indian presence in the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament since Rohan Bopanna won the title at the Miami Open in 2024.
