Dabholkar, Pansare killings well planned, ‘clear nexus’ between two cases: Bombay HC

The bench directed the two probe agencies to take note of its suggestions and submit fresh progress reports by the next date of hearing on September 13.

Rationalists Vibha Kankanwadi and Narendra Dabholkar

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said that the killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare were “well planned” and the perpetrators had organisational backup. The court asked the investigators to look beyond their current line of probe. Hearing the matter, the bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and Vibha Kankanwadi also suggested there was a “clear nexus” between the two killings.

“The reports reveal that these were clearly not one or two stray incidents. Certain organisations must be backing them, helping them financially. These incidents were well planned,” noted Justice Dharmadhikari after examining the probe reports submitted by the state CID and the CBI in Pansare and Dabholkar murder cases respectively.

Considering that Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar, the two men identified by the CBI as those who allegedly gunned down Dabholkar in 2013, were still to be traced, the court said the agency must “look beyond its current line of probe.” “There is a clear nexus between the two murders. These men must have some roots in the society. Coordinate with the state CID, use modern technology, look at bank transactions, ATM withdrawals, check rail bookings, there are just four or five states with porous borders to which these men could have
fled,” Dharmadhikari said. “It is impossible for someone to remain in hiding for so long in today’s time,” he said.

The bench directed the two probe agencies to take note of its suggestions and submit fresh progress reports by the next date of hearing on September 13. It directed the petitioners, the family members of the deceased rationalists, to submit an affidavit listing their demand that the state Home secretary and the CBI director be made directly accountable for the probe.

Both the probe agencies, meanwhile, said they were hunting for the killers. Dabholkar was shot dead on August 20, 2013 in Pune while he was on a morning walk. Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and succumbed to his injuries on February 20 that year.

(With inputs from PTI)

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