Man held for mowing down journalist made similar attempt on an activist two years ago

The site of the incident. (Express Photo)

Amberkar is now in the custody of Rajapur police for his alleged role in the Warishe murder case.

A journalist with a local Marathi newspaper, Warishe died after being run over by a vehicle, allegedly being driven by Amberkar.

The incident took place last Monday after Warishe wrote a report against Amberkar.

Headlined ‘Photo of criminal on banner alongside PM, CM and DCM, claim farmers protesting against refinery’, it alleged that Amberkar had criminal antecedents.

According to the FIR registered by Nate police in Ratnagiri, the earlier incident involving Amberkar had taken place in April 2020 when Manoj Mayekar was heading home to Kumbhavade on a motorcycle. Driving a vehicle at high speed, Amberkar hit the motorcycle, and left Mayekar injured.

The FIR states that the incident was the fallout of a quarrel that Amberkar had with Mayekar and his father Pandhari Mayekar. The case is being heard in the magistrate court in Rajapur taluka.

Shashikant Warishe used to reside with his mother and 19-year-old son in Kasheli village.

Mayekar’s father Pandhari, who was the village sarpanch then, said his son opposed the refinery which angered Amberkar.

“My son was against the refinery and had been speaking against it on social media as well as other platforms. Amberkar would ask him to join pro-refinery activities, but Manoj would not listen. He told him that he would never join any pro-refinery activity, and that he didn’t want the refinery. This angered Amberkar. He would look for an opportunity to target him. He knocked down my son… he did this to terrorise us and the villagers,” Pandhari Mayekar told The Indian Express.

At the Amberkar house, his family members refused to speak on the issue. They said they knew nothing about it and had no relations with him.

The Rajapur police, who now have custody of Amberkar, said they have found that there are at least four FIRs registered against him.

Police inspector Janardan Parabkar of Rajapur police station told The Indian Express: “Including this murder case, there are three more FIRs registered against him. While one is in Nate police station, the other three are in Rajapur. There are also some NCs (non-cognisable offences) registered against him. A preventive notice was also issued against him.”

In one case, Amberkar and a few others had attacked an anti-refinery activist in court premises. They were booked by police for riot, assault and criminal intimidation. In another case, he was booked for threatening anti-refinery activists.

The Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited, promoted by public sector oil companies, was initially planned in Nanar village of Ratnagiri.

The then undivided Shiv Sena opposed the project, citing opposition from local residents. After Uddhav Thackeray became Chief Minister, he announced that no refinery would come up at Nanar. In March 2022, it was proposed that the refinery would be set up at Barsu.

Environmental activists and villagers have been protesting against the refinery project in the Konkan region, fearing pollution and destruction of the area, which is largely dependent on agriculture and is famous for its Alphonso mangoes.