Dabholkar, Lankesh murders linked: CBI

Pune, August 26

In a significant development, the CBI on Sunday said it has established links between the murders of Pune-based rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and Bengaluru-based journalist Gauri Lankesh.

The CBI said it had established the crucial connection before the Shivajinagar Magistrate’s Court in Pune to extend the police custody of one of the prime suspects, Sachin Andhure. Accordingly, the custody of Andhure, arrested from Aurangabad last week, has been extended till August 30.

Rationalist Dabholkar (67), who fought against superstitious beliefs through his Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, was gunned down near his residence on the morning of June 20, 2013. Lankesh (55), journalist-cum-activist, was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. Though the two high-profile murders were committed four years apart, in both these cases, the long suspected alleged role of certain right-wing activists, including those associated with Sanatan Sanstha and others, has now emerged. 

The remand application adds that during interrogation, Andhure revealed that one of those arrested for the Lankesh murder had handed over to him a 7.65-mm country made pistol and three bullets. Later, Andhure, arrested by the CBI last week, claimed he passed it on to his brother-in-law Subham Surale in Aurangabad on August 11, 2018. Surale in turn passed the weapon to his friend Rohit Rege in the same city, though the motives are not clear. Andhure’s name was revealed by Sharad Kalaskar, a resident of Nala Sopara, Palghar, arrested by the Maharashtra ATS after a major arms haul there on August 10. It was Andhure and Kalaskar himself who went on a motorcycle and shot Dabholkar that day, he (Kalaskar) revealed.

Now, armed with the fresh information, the CBI plans to seek Kalaskar’s custody, after his remand with Maharashtra-ATS ends later this week. “Some of the accused in the Lankesh case are connected with Andhure and Dabholkar’s murder,” the CBI remand application said, seeking the extension of Andhure’s custody. — IANS