Kolhapur: Pansare murder: Two from Karnataka detained for investigation

Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Sep 17 (IANS) Maharashtra Police have detained two people from Karnataka in connection with the killing of senior Communist leader Govind Pansare here in February, a police official said on Thursday.

“We have detained two people from Karnataka in connection with the murder and are investigating further,” Additional DGO (CID) Pune, Sanjay Kumar, who is heading a SIT for the case, told media persons here.

The suspects detained are Sushil Jadhav and Shriram Jadhav and their links with various other individuals and organizations are being probed.

The two detentions came a day after Samir V. Gaikwad, an activist of the right-wing Sanatan Sanstha was arrested from Sangli, and was remanded in police custody till September 23.

Kumar said Gaikwad was not cooperating in the investigations, while the Sanatan Sanstha has accused the police of scheming to implicate him in the Pansare killing.

Pansare was attacked on February 16 in Kolhapur when he was shot at from a close range. the 81-year-old leader died of bullet injuries four days later. His wife Uma, who was also shot and seriously injured, survived the attack.

Police raided Gaikwad’s residence in Sangli and recovered 23 mobiles, one large knife and the Sanatan Sanstha literature, while further investigations are on in other parts of the state.

A police team from Karnataka has also arrived here to question Gaikwad to ascertain a possible link between the Pansare killing and the recent murder of Kannada litterateur M. M. Kalburgi, who was shot dead outside his home in Dharwad on August 30.

Investigators are probing whether the killing of Pune rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, who was shot dead in August 2013, is also connected to the murders of Pansare and Kalburgi.

Investigations are continuing simultaneously in different parts of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.