Man accused of killing Narendra Dabholkar arrested by CBI in Pune
CBI’s arrest of Sachin Prakashrao Andure comes just two days before the 5th death anniversary of Narendra Dabholkar, 67, who was shot dead while on a morning walk near his Pune home on August 20, 2013
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) late Saturday, August 18 evening arrested one of the two gunmen who killed Maharashtra rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in 2013, official sources said here.
"Sachin Prakashrao Andure of Aurangabad is one of the two persons who shot at (Dr) Dabholkar. Further investigations are underway," a CBI official said.
The arrest comes just two days before the 5th death anniversary of Dabholkar, 67, who was shot dead while on a morning walk near his Pune home on August 20, 2013.
The tip-off for the arrest came from the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS), Thane, which had arrested three persons in a different case of explosives seizure.
During custodial interrogation, one of these three made the sensational revelation that he and another person (Andure) were directly involved in the Dabholkar killing which hit national headlines.
The Thane ATS alerted the CBI of the development, which in turn summoned Andure and confirmed the information given by his accomplice. The CBI arrested Andure during late evening hours in Pune.
“Sachin Prakashrao Andure of Aurangabad is one of the two persons who shot at (Dr) Dabholkar. Further investigations are underway,” a CBI official said
Dabholkar, a well-known rationalist and anti-superstition activist who founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), was shot and killed by two motorcycle-borne assailants near Omkareshwar Temple in Pune.
The case was initially investigated by the Deccan police, but following a furore, it was transferred to the CBI in May 2014, with the agency increasing the reward money on the killers from ₹10 lakh to ₹25 lakh.
Shortly after Dabholkar's murder, the state enacted the country's first legislation against superstition and black magic. The activist was posthumously conferred the Padma Shri in 2014.
Since then, the All Indian Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) and others observe his death anniversary (August 20) as "National Scientific Temper Day" to create awareness against superstitions.
Follow us on: Facebook, Twitter, Google News, Instagram
Join our official telegram channel (@nationalherald) and stay updated with the latest headlines