On Dabholkar's 5th death anniversary, kin demand arrest of real killers

Members of an outfit founded by slain anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar and his family members took out a protest rally in Maharashtra's Pune city today, demanding arrest of the "real perpetrators" of the crime.


Today is the fifth death anniversary of the rationalist, who was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013. The family members of Dabholkar and slain rationalist Govind Pansare, theatre director Atul Pethe, actor Sonali Kulkarni, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Tushar Gandhi and several other art, culture and film personalities participated in the march.


The rally, led by members of Dabholkar's Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, started from the Vitthal Ramji Shinde bridge, also known as the Omkareshwar bridge, where Dabholkar was shot dead in 2013, and culminated at the Sane Guruji Smarak.


Dabholkar's son Hamid Dabholkar, daughter Mukta Dabholkar and Govind Pansare's daughter-in-law Megha Pansare participated in the rally. The protesters carried placards with messages demanding justice and arrest of the "real perpetrators" of the crime.


Veteran actor Amol Palekar and family members of Dabholkar, Pansare, and slain scholar M M Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh are expected to address the gathering during the day-long programme at the protest site.


The Hindi translation of Dabholkar's book 'Bhram aur Niraas' will also be released later today. Two days ago, the Central Bureau of Investigation had arrested Sachin Andure, the alleged main shooter in the killing case of Dabholkar. Andure, a resident of Aurangabad, was nabbed from Pune late on Saturday evening, a CBI spokesperson had said. He was remanded yesterday in the CBI custody till August 26. -- PTI