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Dabholkar murder case: Prosecution refutes defence counsel cross-examination of witnesses
Narendra Dabholkar, while on a morning walk, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants near Omkareshwar Bridge in Shaniwar Peth on August 20, 2013
After hearing the arguments made by Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Prakash Suryavanshi, the Special Judge PP Jadhav has kept the next hearing on February 22 when advocate Omkar Nevgi would be submitting documents on behalf of Dr Narendra Dabholkar’s family.
The prosecution on Saturday continued its arguments on submissions made by the defence counsel in connection with the Dabholkar assassination case before the judge.
Suryavanshi argued on points mentioned by the defence counsel like body of Dabholkar thrown from a tempo on Omkareshwar Bridge, determination of exact place where the accused attended a right wing event and why the two sisters cross-examined by the defence counsel did not draw the attention of the court, investigative agency, police or their statements recorded under Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) Section 313.
Refuting the defence counsel’s statement before the court which said that Dabholkar’s body was thrown from the tempo on Omkareshwar Bridge in Shaniwar Peth, Suryavanshi said, “The trail of the blood has to be seen from the place where the body was thrown and it could not be corroborated,” he said.
The special public prosecutor said that the defence counsel had told the court during the cross-examination earlier that a single lock of long hair of a woman was found on the corpse.
“During the inquest panchnama, Dr Hamid Dabholkar said that no such hair was found, which was also confirmed by the doctors present at that time. Regarding the cross-examination of two defence witnesses, both sisters of two alleged shooters Sharad Kalaskar and Sachin Andure,” advocate Suryavanshi said, adding, “Both the sisters had not informed the court, CBI and police about their presence of their brothers at their homes on August 20, 2013, the day Dabholkar was murdered in Pune.”
The prosecutor stated that six case documents were submitted before the court. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe in 2014 after a Bombay High Court order and arrested Sanatan Sanstha affiliated Dr Virendrasinh Tawade, an ENT surgeon in June 2016. The CBI stated that Dr Tawade was one of the masterminds of the crime. The agency arrested shooters Andure and Kalaskar, and co-conspirators Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave in the case. While Tawade, Andure and Kalaskar are in jail, Punalekar and Bhave are out on bail.
The murder of Dabholkar is believed to be linked to the killings of other rationalists in India, namely activist Govind Pansare, writer MM Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh.
Dabholkar, while on a morning walk, was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants near Omkareshwar Bridge in Shaniwar Peth on August 20, 2013.
The rationalist, founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS), dedicated his life for eradication of social evils, religious superstition and caste system.
