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Tribune News Service
Mumbai, August 19
The CBI has detained Shrikant Pangarkar, a former member of the Jalna Municipal Corporation representing the Shiv Sena, in connection with the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in 2013.
According to police sources, Pangarkar was picked up by the CBI after key accused Sachin Prakashrao Andure named him as one of his associates. Andure was on Sunday produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class AS Mujumdar at Shivajinagar, Pune, amid heavy security. While seeking his custody for 14 days, CBI counsel (public prosecutor) Vijaykumar Dhakane said the investigation revealed that Andure had received “shooting training” at various places in Maharashtra and Karnataka before executing Dabholkar’s killing.
“The CBI needs to investigate where he underwent the shooting training and also people who provided the required infrastructure to both the shooters,” he said. After hearing the arguments, the court sent Andure to the CBI custody till August 26.
Investigators said Andure was one of the main men who gunned down Dabholkar while he was on his morning walk on August 20, 2013. Andure, who worked as a salesman in a cloth shop, is presently in the CBI custody.
Sources say Pangarkar and Andure were both part of a hardline Hindutva network with links to the Sanatan Sanstha and the Hindu Jangruti Samiti. Pangarkar’s Facebook profile has several articles from the Hindu Jangruti Samiti featured on it. Some of the articles are openly abusive of Muslims living in different part of Maharashtra and those espousing the campaign against superstitious practices. Reports quoting CBI officials said Andure had told investigators that Pangarkar, 40, was riding pillion with him when he stopped to shoot Dabholkar.
Andure was among several Sanatan Sanstha activists who were picked up following the arrest of three people with explosives from different parts of Maharashtra last week. (With PTI inputs)
Andure got training in Maha, K’taka: CBI
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