Mumbai, Aug 31: Days after the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) unearthed a terror plot involving some Hindu right-wing activists in Palghar, it has been learned that some human rights activists and politicians were on the hit list of Vaibhav Raut and other accused. According to the case diary, Mukta Dhabolkar, daughter of Narendra Dhabolkar, NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad and activist Shyam Manav were on the target list of Vaibhav Raut and other accused.

The ATS has arrested five Hindu right-wing activists Vaibhav Raut, Sharad Kalaskar, Sudhnava Gondhalekar, Avinash Pawar and a former Shiv Sena corporator, Shrikant Pangarkar, from Palghar, Mumbai and Pune. The arrests came after the Nala Sopara (Palghar) crackdown leading to the recovery of bombs, explosives, arms and ammunition that were allegedly intended for the terror strikes around important festivals.

According to the investigators, all of them are linked with prominent Hindutva groups in Maharashtra. The agency is exploring a multi-state right-wing terror network, probing their links with right-wing organisations in other states like Uttar Pradesh and Assam, and suspected connections with the sensational killings of several rationalists like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M. M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Who is Vaibhav Raut? All About The Man Arrested From Nala Sopara For 'Plotting Bomb Blasts'.

Protesting against the arrest of Raut, local right-wing groups took out a march and demanded his release. Over two thousand people participated in the march from Sopara village to Nallasopara railway station on August 17, an ATS official said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 31, 2018 03:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).