Among six arrests, a cow vigilante, Dabholkar ‘shooter’

Sudhanva Gondhalekar

The day journalist Gauri Lankesh was murdered in Bengaluru, Sudhanva Gondhalekar, 39, an activist associated with the Shri Shivpratishthan Hindustan and the HJS, was seen in the vicinity of her home around four hours before the killing. Gondhalekar, who has now been arrested by the Maharashtra ATS on charges of plotting terrorist attacks, lived is the neighbourhood of Karanji Peth in Satara.

Read | The maze: 4 murders, a terror plot, two state police forces, numerous suspects and a diary that connects them all

A techie who ran a computer-aided design firm, Gondhalekar is considered the brain behind the alleged terror module. The ATS suspects that Gondhalekar, who has a degree in mechanical engineering from a college in Satara, has knowledge of explosives and imparted training on ‘bomb making’ to those allegedly involved in the bombing plan.

Sharad Kalaskar and Sachin Andure

Sharad Kalaskar, who hails from Aurangabad, moved to Nala Sopara in July this year. It was from an apartment in Alora building, a few kilometres from Raut’s residence, that the Mumbai ATS arrested Kalaskar for allegedly being part of a conspiracy to set off explosions in Mumbai, Pune, Satara, Sangli and Nala Sopara. The flat owner, Vijay Joshi, a priest, says he agreed to let Kalaskar move in “free of cost” on Raut’s recommendation. Joshi had then recently moved to another flat in the neighbourhood, but used his flat in Alora building as his office. On August 9, however, Joshi was in for a shock. “When I visited my flat, the latch of the door was open and material scattered on the floor. I learnt that a police team had visited the house and taken Kalaskar away,” he says. During interrogation, Kalaskar confessed to his role in August 20, 2013, murder of Narendra Dabholkar and that he was one of the two motorcycle-borne men, along with Sachin Andure, who shot at the rationalist. On August 18, the CBI arrested Andure from Pune.

Shrikant Pangarkar

A former two-time Shiv Sena corporator from Jalna, Shrikant Pangarkar is the first major political arrest in the case. The ATS claims he is the ‘facilitator’ who provided funds and logistical support such as training and reconnaissance.
As a young man, Pangarkar, whose father who was associated with the BJP, started working with the local Shiv Sena shakha in old Jalna. He quickly rose through the ranks and won local body elections in 2001 and 2006 for the Sena.

Avinash Pawar

Pawar, 30, is allegedly a member of Shri Shivpratishthan Hindustan, A resident of suburban Ghatkopar in the suburbs of eastern Mumbai, Pawar was arrested by Maharashtra ATS on Sunday. “Pawar’s name cropped up during the interrogation of Gondhalekar as the two are associated to the same group,” an ATS official said on the condition of anonymity. Pawar works at Mazgaon dockyard. “He is Shiv bhakt but is not terrorist,” one of the family members told the press following his arrest on Sunday.