Cattle-shed worker found murdered near Pune bungalow ‘encroached’ by Hindu Rashtra Sena chief; probe on

A team from Paud police station rushed to the spot for investigation after being alerted about the matter. Sandeep Singh Gill, Superintendent of Police (SP), Pune Rural, said the crime took place near Parmar bungalow, which has allegedly been encroached upon by Dhananjay Desai, chief of the right-wing outfit Hindu Rashtra Sena.

SP Gill said the deceased is believed to have been attacked on the head with a stone at night in the cattle shed where he worked. “The body was dragged and dumped near the cattle shed’s gate. Further investigation is underway,” he added.

A police officer associated with the investigation said that Desai appears to have no link to the murder, but an investigation is on in this regard.

Recently, parts of the Parmar bungalow, which Desai had reportedly named ‘Hindugad’, was demolished. Desai’s family had claimed that the demolition was carried out illegally, even as a civil dispute in this regard is pending before a court.

Desai was previously arrested in connection with the murder of software professional Mohsin Shaikh at Hadapsar in 2014. However, he was acquitted by the court in this case in 2023.