INVESTIGATIONS INTO RATIONALISTS’ MURDERS Narendra Dabholkar Govind Pansare Devendra Fadnavis On Monday, a rally was taken out to mark the fifth anniversary of Dabholkar’s murder; (top, R) Megha Pansare (top , in black) with Mukta Dabholkar; PIC:DHANANJAY HELWADE Karnataka Gauri Lankesh When it comes to all the rationalist murders, the first arrest was made in the Pansare case, but apart from this, the probe has remained stagnant, despite HC monitoring — Megha Pansare, daughter-in-law of Govind Pansare News of the arrest of activist Sachin Andure from the radical Hindu outfit, Sanatan Sanstha, has proved to be a ray of hope after a very long five years for the family of rationalist Dr, who was murdered in Pune in 2013.However, the kin of Leftist leader, who was assassinated two years later in 2015, are still waiting for absolutely any sign of closure. In this vein, demanding that all the rationalist murders be probed with utmost seriousness, Pansare’s daughter-in-law Megha has taken the help of Kolhapur-based veteran rationalist ND Patil to write a strongly worded missive to Chief Ministeron August 14.Pansare was shot along with his wife Uma outside their home in Kolhapur as they returned from a morning walk on February 16, 2015; he succumbed to his injuries days later, on February 20. In weeks to come, the special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe this killing arrested Sanstha seeker Sameer Gaikwad in 2015; later, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Hindu Janajagruti Sanstha leader Virendra Tawade in June 2016, taking him into custody in connection with the Pansare murder.But, both Gaikwad and Tawade were released on bail in 2017 and 2018, respectively. And, despite a Bombay High Court monitored probe, nothing had moved forward in the investigation since.Citing this delay, the letter to the CM by Patil states, “The HC has drawn strictures about the investigation of both the Dabholkar and Pansare murder cases. It was so serious that all investigating officials were asked to remain present in court, along with the home secretary, on July 12 this year. But despite this, three years since the murder, the investigation remains incomplete. When you were the leader of the opposition, multiple claims were made with respect to this probe. Now that you are the CM, things should have moved faster. Yet, while thepolice have arrested so many accused in the 2017 murder of, the Pansare case stays unresolved. That the accused are still at large makes us reach two conclusions — either the government is shielding the accused or the investigating agencies don’t have enough working capacity to find them. So, we request you to look into it and ensure that action is taken. Or, I will be left with no option other than to lodge a protest to ensure that my demands are met.”While the letter has received acknowledgement from the CM’s Office (CMO), they are still waiting to hear anything concrete from Fadnavis.Speaking to Mirror, Megha shared, “We have been protesting all these years, but no substantial arrests have been made. Gaikwad and Tawade are both out on bail. Nothing has moved forward. When we ask officials, the only answer we get is ‘we are working on the case 24x7’. With the accused untraced, we have written to the CM through Patil. We are still waiting to hear from him.”Referring to Andure’s arrest, she added, “This arrest is crucial for the investigation of the Dabholkar murder. When it comes to all the rationalist murders, the first arrest was made in the Pansare case, but apart from this, the probe has remained stagnant, despite HC monitoring. Now, accused Gaikwad is demanding that the conditions on his bail be removed. With all this going on, we hope for some development in our case. Our lawyer will submit this to the HC at the next hearing.”Dabholkar’s daughter Mukta said, “The recent arrest has made it clear who is behind these murders. We hope the dots get connected to reach a conclusion in all four murders (Dabholkar, Pansare, M M Kalburgi and Lankesh). It is time the cases unraveled and cops reached the masterminds.”

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