Narendra Dabholkar murder: A special court in Pune on Friday held two accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment in connection with activist Narendra Dabholkar's murder case of 2013. The accused has been identified as Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar. Meanwhile, three others -- Virendrasinh Tawde, Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave -- were acquitted in the case.
Dabholkar was killed in 2023
67-year-old Dabholkar, a rationalist, anti-superstition crusader, and the founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants on the VR Shinde bridge in Pune on August 20, 2013. The final verdict on the incident came after more than a decade. The CBI had earlier filed a chargesheet against five accused persons in the case.
What was the case?
The case was initially probed by the Pune police. Later, the Central Bureau of Investigation took over the probe in 2014 following a Bombay High Court, order and arrested Dr Virendrasinh Tawade, an ENT surgeon linked to the Hindu right-wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha, in June 2016. According to the prosecution, Tawade was one of the masterminds of the murder. Sanatan Sanstha, to which Tawade and some of the other accused were linked, was opposed to the work carried out by Dabholkar's organisation, the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (committee for eradication of superstition, Maharashtra), it claimed.
The CBI first named fugitives Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar as the shooters in its charge sheet. But later it arrested Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, and claimed in a supplementary charge sheet that they had shot Dabholkar. Subsequently, the central agency arrested advocate Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave as alleged co-conspirators. The accused were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 120 B (conspiracy ), 302 (murder), relevant sections of the Arms Act, and section 16 (Punishment for terrorist act) of the UAPA.
Who was Narendra Dabholkar?
Narendra Dabholkar was a social worker from Maharashtra. Born on 1 November 1945, he was the younger brother of Gandhian socialist Devdutt Dabholkar. He completed his MBBS from Government Medical College, Miraj. After this Dabholkar came in contact with Rashtriya Seva Dal and was greatly influenced by its ideology. He later joined the Rashtriya Seva Dal with the aim of countering the prevalent superstition in the society and bringing rationalism and scientific reasoning.
Dabholkar worked as a physician for 12 years. As his passion for social work grew, he left his profession completely. Initially, Dabholkar joined the All India Andhashradha Nirmulan Samiti (ABANS) headed by Professor Shyam Manav. However, Dabholkar left ABANS after a few years due to his differences with Professor Manav. After this Dabholkar continued his activities through his newly established organization Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti Maharashtra util he was killed in 2013.
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