Dabholkar murder: Politicians call for a bandh in Pune

Political parties and social organisations have called for a bandh in Pune on Wednesday to protest the murder of anti-superstition crusader Narendra Dabholkar.

A protest march was taken out by students and citizens against the murder of the activist, who spearheaded the anti-superstition movement in Maharashtra and pressed for an enactment of law to ban black magic and inhuman practices.

However, the police is still clueless about the identity of the culprits, even as a sketch of one of the two motorcycle-borne suspects, who shot dead Dabholkar, was released on Tuesday.

Although the police claimed that they had got "some information", they refused to divulge any details saying it would hamper the investigation. "We do not know who is involved in this and we are probing the case from all angles without ruling out any possibility," a top police official told mediapersonms.

The 69-year-old social activist was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne unidentified assailants at around 7.15 am on Tuesday, when he was out for a morning walk on the Omkareshwar Temple bridge in the city.

Four shots were fired at him from close range by the attackers believed to be in the age group of 25-30 years. An eyewitness description of the fleeing assailants and the number-plate of the motorbike they rode, is expected to give some leads to the crime branch sleuths, sources said.

Dabholkar's mortal remains were cremated in his hometown Satara on Tuesday night.

Image: A rally at Mumbai's Dadar Chowpatty in reaction to the murder of Narendra Dabholkar

Photograph: Abhishek Mande Bhot