Dabholkar murder case: CBI slaps terror charges against accused
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has invoked Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) sections 15 and 16 pertaining to acts of terror against the accused arrested in connection with the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, public prosecutor, Vijaykumar Dhakane, said. The CBI made a submission to this effect yesterday before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) S M A Sayyad in Pune, Maharashtra.
The case: Andure, Kalaskar killed Dabholkar in 2013
So far, six people, including Hindu Janajagruti Samiti member and ENT surgeon Virendrasinh Tawde, Sachin Andure, and Sharad Kalaskar, have been arrested by the CBI in connection with the killing of Dabholkar. According to the CBI, Andure and Kalaskar had allegedly shot Dabholkar on August 20, 2013 when he was on his morning walk on the Omkareshwar bridge in Pune.
Tawde masterminded conspiracy to kill Dabholkar, Pansare: CBI
The CBI had earlier claimed that Tawde was the "mastermind" of the conspiracy to kill Dabholkar and veteran CPI leader and rationalist Govind Pansare. Pansare was shot at by unidentified assailants at Kolhapur in Maharashtra on February 16, 2015. He died of his injuries four days later. The CBI had also filed a charge sheet against Tawde in 2016 under relevant sections of IPC.
Gauri Lankesh's suspected killers also arrested for Dabholkar's murder
Besides Andure, Kalaskar and Tawde, the CBI had arrested Rajesh Bangera, Amol Kale and Amit Digvekar in connection with Dabholkar's murder. Bangera and Kale are also accused in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.
After invoking UAPA, CBI gets 90-day extension to file chargesheet
Tawde has been slapped with charges under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder), among other charges. Meanwhile, the 90-day period for filing the supplementary charge sheet against the other five arrested is getting over on November-18, Dhakane said. "Now, since the UAPA sections have been invoked, CBI will get an extension of another 90 days to file the charge sheet," he said.
