Dabholkar murder: Hindutva activist who named accused linked to Sanatan Santha cross-examined

Based on a statement given by Sadvilkar, CBI had arrested a Sanatan Sanstha seeker and ENT surgeon Dr Virendrasinh Tawade in Dabholkar murder case on June 10, 2016.

In September 2016, CBI filed a chargesheet against Tawade in which absconding Sanatan Sanstha members Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar were named as two assailants who shot Dabholkar.

This charge sheet claimed that Tawade and Akolkar had a meeting with Sadvilkar in 2013. It is stated that Tawade allegedly wanted to manufacture weapons with Sadvilkar’s help and “Akolkar had, for this purpose, brought samples of a country made pistol and a country made revolver of high quality.”

But questions were raised about the CBI probe and Sadvilkar as the agency contradicted its earlier claim and named Hindutva activists Sachin Prakashrao Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, arrested in August 2018, as the two shooters who had opened fire at Dabholkar.

Defence lawyer Prakash Salsingikar questioned Sadvilkar about the alleged discrepancies in his statements given to the CBI and in Pansare murder case.

In his statement to the CBI, Sadvilkar gave information about Tawade’s verbal altercations with Dabholkar during a programme organised in Kolhapur by the “Parit Caste (Washer Men Community) to mark the death anniversary of Saint Gadge Maharaj.

“In his statement to the CBI and magistrate court in Pune, this incident is said to have happened in 2006. Whereas, in his statement before the magistrate in Kolhapur, the incident happened in 2004. This suggests that he has given wrong statements,” said Salsingikar.

The defence lawyer said during the cross-examination that Sadvilkar mentioned he was active in Shiv Sena between 1986 and 1991. In his statement to the CBI, Sadvilkar has mentioned about his Hindutva activities, his association with Tawade since 2002 and details of his meeting with Akolkar regarding firearms. Sadvilkar had described how Tawade allegedly demanded “chocolates”, referring to bullets to be used for the pistol, and the revolver shown by Akolkar.

Sadvilkar also stated after knowing about Dabolkar’s murder, he could “immediately relate” that Tawade had masterminded the assassination. “I had already seen a pistol and a revolver in possession of a person close to Tawade in May 2013. I could also realise as to why Tawade was chasing me to get chocolates to be used in those instruments just one-and-a-half months before the assassination of Dabholkar,” it is stated.

As per his statement to CBI, Sadvilkar had in August 2013 spoken to officials in Kolhapur police and ATS to provide information about Tawade. Sadvilkar stated he had voluntarily approached Kolhapur police after Pansare’s murder in 2015.

But advocate Salsingikar claimed there is no evidence to show that Sadvilkar spoke to the police about Tawade in 2013 after Dabholkar’s murder. Defence lawyer said during cross-examination Sadvilkar was unable to tell even the year in which Pansare was murdered.

Doubts are often raised as to why no action was taken against Tawade by the Kolhapur police after Sadvilkar had approached them. As per police records, Tawade was first arrested by CBI in June 2016 in Dabholkar murder case and later was named as accused in Pansare murder case by Maharashtra police. Sadvilkar’s cross-examination would continue on July 11.

It may be recalled that CBI took over the murder investigation in this case from Pune City Police in 2014 and chargesheeted five accused: Tawade, Andure, Kalaskar, Mumbai-based lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar and his aide Vikram Bhave, all of them linked to Sanatan Sanstha. Punalekar and Bhave are out on bail.

Last year, on September 15, the special UAPA court had framed charges in the murder case against four of the accused — Tawade, Andure, Kalaskar and Bhave — for murder, conspiracy to commit murder along with Section 16 of the UAPA pertaining to terrorist acts, and various provisions of the Arms Act for the use of firearms.

The court charged Punalekar with destruction of evidence in the case. All five accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The CBI had, on October 14 last year, submitted before the court a list of 32 witnesses to be examined during the trial.