21 July,2010 09:32 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
Father of the man accused in the Mecca Masjid blast of 2008, tells MiD DAY about the trauma of being the parent of a tainted son
"Iu00a0heven't met my son for nearly 18 months. I have no clue of his whereabouts."
That's what father of Sandeep Dange, an accused in the May 2007 blast that ripped Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, told MiD DAY over the telephone from Indore.
A few days ago, the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh to any person giving details of the whereabouts of Sandeep Dange alias Parmanand, and Ramchandra Kalsangra alias Ramji alias Vishnu Patel.
The CBI has claimed that Dange and Kalsangra are key accused in the blast.
Confined to home
"I rarely leave my home. I restrict my outings to morning and evening walks," said V K Dange. "I am being constantly harassed by investigating agencies and am tired of answering questions and providing information," said Dange, who leads the life of a recluse, a year-and-half after the Hyderabad blast.
"Sandeep was an introvert by nature. I don't know much about his circle of friends. While he was pursuing his BE (Electrical) from GSITS Engineering College, I was transferred outside Madhya Pradesh," said Dange. "We rarely met except when he came down for vacations."
He, however, admitted he was aware of his son's participation in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. "He worked as a full-time employee at the Sangh for nearly two years. He had rented out a room a few blocks away. There were times when he would disappear, and rarely return home," said Dange, adding that he was fed up of persistent questioning and no longer communicated with anyone.
Cops and queries
"The Maharashtra ATS team first visited me in December 2008 in Indore. There were 10 people who visited me and the investigating officer questioned me about my son and took down my details too," Dange said. "He asked me to disclose names of Sandeep's friends, their phone numbers. I told them whatever I knew."
Sources from Pune ATS said that Sandeep's role in the 2008 Malegaon blast had been probed and that Sandeep had visited Pune twice in the past.
The Rajasthan ATS visited Dange's home, and on June 3, a CBI team questioned him.
"I hope the trial begins soon. I have full faith in our legal system. We will honour the court's decision," said Dange.
