Journalism of Courage
Nearly a month has gone by but Pune police are yet to make any arrest in connection with the attack on the city office of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M).
Since the attack appeared to be a fallout of the murder of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary by CPI-M activists in Kerala, investigators were probing whether any Hindu outfit was behind the attack. An offence was registered against unidentified persons at Vishrambag police station.
However, no breakthrough has been reported in the case so far even though police sources said they are zeroing on suspects from outside Pune. CPI-M members claim that police are under political pressure and therefore have not been able to make any arrest in the case.
Ajit Abhyankar, senior CPI-M leader from Pune, said, “We had provided clues to police, but no action was taken. There must be some political pressure on them. Whenever there are incidents involving left wing activists, arrests are made immediately. However, similar action is not taken against suspects from the right wing groups.”
Refuting the claims, Nitin Bhosale Patil, Senior Police Inspector of Vishrambag police station, denied any political interference in the investigation. “There is absolutely no political pressure on police. The investigation is on and we are hoping to solve the case soon,” he said.
According to CPI-M activists, the attackers said that they had come to avenge the killing of the RSS leader in Kerala. Some attackers were reportedly speaking in Hindi. They damaged the furniture in the office and spilled oil everywhere, added the activists.
A senior police officer said they tried to collect information from video footages obtained from CCTV cameras installed in the area, but could not find any crucial clues.
