New Delhi. Today, after 11 years, the court gave its verdict in the murder case of Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, founder of Maharashtra Andhashradha Nirmoolan Samiti. A special court in Pune acquitted the main accused Virendra Singh Tawde, Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave. While accused Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar were sentenced to life imprisonment. Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune on 20 August 2013.
Activist Narendra Dabholkar murder case | A Special Court in Pune acquits accused Virendrasinh Tawde, Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave. Accused Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar sent to life imprisonment.
Narendra Dabholkar was shot in Pune on August 20, 2013.
— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024
This massacre shook the entire country. On the morning of 20 August 2013, Dabholkar left his house for a walk. He was killed by assailants riding a bike at around 7.15 pm. CBI believes that the main reason behind Dabholkar’s murder is the conflict between Maharashtra Andhashradha Eradication Committee and Sanatan Sanstha. Narendra had started a campaign against superstition. Sanatan Sansthan was opposed to this campaign. The organization also had objections to the social reform work done by Dabholkar’s committee. Virendra Tawde arrested in this case was associated with Sanatan Sanstha. But due to lack of evidence he had to be acquitted.
CBI special court judge A.A. Jadhav has given the verdict in this case. This case was handed over to CBI in the year 2014. During this period, statements of a total of 22 witnesses were recorded in 11 years and more than a hundred CCTV footages were scrutinized. Not only this, to get to the bottom of this murder case, many prisoners lodged in Pune-Thane jail were also interrogated. After this, the Central Investigation Agency, after thoroughly investigating the case, filed a charge sheet in the year 2016. After this, after eight years of hearing, statements of witnesses and arguments, the verdict in the case was given.