A Pune court on Friday sentenced two accused to life imprisonment for the 2013 murder of activist Narendra Dabholkar. The court also acquitted three other accused in the case.
Narendra Dabholkar, who led the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013, allegedly by members of a fringe group.
The assassination of Narendra Dabholkar was followed by the killings of Govind Pansare in February 2015 and MM Kalburgi in Kolhapur in August of the same year. Gauri Lankesh was also shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru in September 2017.
Initially, Pune Police investigated the case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe in 2014 following a Bombay High Court order and arrested Dr Virendrasinh Tawade, an ENT surgeon associated with the Hindu right-wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha, in June 2016.
According to the prosecution, Tawade was considered one of the masterminds behind the murder.
The prosecution asserted that Sanatan Sanstha, linked to Tawade and some other accused, opposed the work carried out by Dabholkar’s organization, the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (Committee for Eradication of Superstition in Maharashtra).
Who was Narendra Dabholkar
Narendra Dabholkar was a prominent Indian social activist known for his relentless campaign against superstition and blind faith. He founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith) and dedicated his life to exposing fraudulent practices, superstitions, and exploitative beliefs prevalent in society.
Narendra Dabholkar advocated for rationalism, scientific temper, and critical thinking, aiming to educate and empower individuals to question irrational beliefs and traditions.
His murder sparked widespread outrage and led to renewed calls for justice and the protection of free speech and rationalist activism in India. Dabholkar’s legacy continues to inspire activists and thinkers to challenge superstition, promote reason, and uphold the values of scientific inquiry and skepticism in the face of entrenched dogma and obscurantism.
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