Gauri Lankesh murder, UAPA accused to campaign for Shinde Sena? (Or...)

An accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh has joined the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, the Indian Express reported. Shrikant Pangarkar was formally inducted on Friday, 18 October, having been granted bail by the Karnataka High Court only last month (September).

First arrested in August 2018 in the Gauri Lankesh case, Pangarkar is also an accused in the Nalasopara arms haul case, the Indian Express report notes. He was already granted bail in the second case.

He was all set to take charge of the Shiv Sena's poll campaign in the crucial Jalna constituency, just in time for the Maharashtra assembly elections ahead — but did he?

When contacted, the Shinde Sena’s spokesperson, MLA Sanjay Shirsat, said he was unaware of Pangarkar having joined the party — thought he was a "veteran Shiv Sainik" returning to the fold, per former state minister Arjun Khotkar, who reportedly inducted him and announced his new responsibilities on Friday.

Pangarkar was, in fact, municipal councillor for Jalna in the era of the undivided Shiv Sena from 2001 to 2006. He was was then dropped by the party during the 2011 civic elections, and joined the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.

Jalna, of course, has been in the spotlight due to the agitation over Maratha reservation that peaked last year (2023) with calling for deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' resignation.

However, Sunday, October 20, the India Today reported that Pangarkar had been 'removed' within a mere two days of his induction.

What gives?

Veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai thought it was the power of 'tweet impact', given the outcry that had followed on social media.

Pangarkar was, until his recent release on bail, lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai. Both ongoing cases against him hinge on procurement of firearms.

In the Gauri Lankesh case, Pangarkar is accused of arranging firearms and vehicles for the primary accused — although in releasing him on bail on 4 September, the Karnataka High Court acknowledged he was not present at the scene of the crime itself. He is, however, accused of conspiracy in the case as well.

The Nallasopara arms haul of August 2018 saw the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad finger Pangarkar for funding the procurement of the pistols, airguns and crude guns recovered. He was one of 12 arrested and charged with plotting terror attacks.

The BJP's Devendra Fadnavis — yes, he who has earned Jalna's ire — was chief minister at the time of the Nalasopara investigation.

The ATS had, at the time, specifically claimed that Pangarkar was one of those conspiring to disrupt the 2017 Sunburn Festival in Pune with a petrol bomb attack — because it was 'against Hindu culture'. In the end, the attack was not foiled so much as aborted, when one of the accused realised he was exposed on CCTV camera.

In addition, the ATS believed that all 12 accused had conducted recces of the homes of various prominent personalities in the region.

The December 2018 chargesheet filed against Pangarkar included charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act — aka, the UAPA — as well as the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act.

His inclusion in the Mahayuti camp seemed of a piece, however, with a 'trend' of 'accused persons' in the campaign frontline of the BJP and allied parties lately — and not just in Maharashtra. Witness Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Sameer Wankhede and others.

So his hurried (re-)removal remains a matter of mystery and speculation for now.