Maharashtra: Police rely on Pansare's wife for vital clues in shooting case

With no leads yet, the police are hoping the statement of Uma Pansare will provide them vital clues in the firing on her husband and communist leader Govind Pansare.

With no leads yet, the police are hoping the statement of Uma Pansare will provide them vital clues in the firing on her husband and communist leader Govind Pansare.

Two unidentified men shot at Govind and Uma Pansare near their Kolhapur residence on Monday. While the bullets hit Pansare in the neck and chest, Uma suffered head injuries in the incident. In the absence of a statement and with no other witness, the police have been unable to issue sketches of the assailants.

“Uma Pansare is the prime witness in the case. We have not been able to record her statement. The doctors have advised us to speak to her once her condition gets better,” said Manojkumar Sharma, superintendent of police, Kolhapur.

The police had gone to the hospital to record Uma Pansare’s statement on Tuesday, but couldn’t complete the procedure, as she felt dizzy and was not in a position to speak to the investigators.

Doctors said Pansare was regaining his consciousness. “But he won’t be able to give his version to the police anytime soon. So we will have to rely on Uma Pansare’s statement,” said an official privy to the investigation.

The anti-terrorism squad and the Mumbai crime branch are assisting the local police in their probe. More than 200 people, including local goons, have been questioned so far.

Pansare’s daughter Smita, who briefly spoke to her mother, said the attackers approached her parents on the pretext of asking directions to the house of a resident in the locality.