How CBI, Maharashtra ATS Cracked Activist Narendra Dabholkar's Murder Case | Explained

Mumbai: In the wee hours of August 15, 2018, nearly five years after the tragic murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, a breakthrough occurred in the case. Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), engaged in a separate investigation involving a cache of arms and ammunition in Nalasopara, stumbled upon a vital lead.

During interrogation, one of the suspects, Sharad Kalaskar, unexpectedly confessed to his involvement in Dabholkar's assassination alongside his accomplice Sachin Andure. This revelation left the ATS team stunned. Promptly, the ATS chief, Atul Chandra Kulkarni, was notified, and he personally questioned Kalaskar and Andure, who corroborated their roles as the assailants.

To validate their claims, the ATS sought assistance from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had been overseeing the Dabholkar case since June 2014. The CBI, renowned for its methodical approach, meticulously scrutinized Kalaskar and Andure's statements. Once satisfied with their authenticity, the CBI escalated the matter to its headquarters in Delhi.

Before taking the suspects into custody, the CBI, in collaboration with the ATS, orchestrated a reconstruction of the crime scene in Pune. Kalaskar and Andure meticulously described the sequence of events leading up to Dabholkar's tragic death at Pune's Omkareshwar Bridge, providing critical insights into the execution of the murder.

Following thorough investigations, the CBI formally arrested Andure on August 18, 2018, identifying him as Dabholkar's shooter. Kalaskar was apprehended on September 3, 2018. Both suspects were alleged to have been radicalised in 2012, undergoing training and reconnaissance activities leading up to the assassination.

On May 10, after a painstaking legal process, a special court in Pune finally delivered its verdict, convicting Andure and Kalaskar of murder and sentencing them to life imprisonment and fined them Rs 5 lakh. However, three other individuals, including Dr. Virendrasinh Tawade, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Dabholkar's murder, along with similar incidents targeting individuals like communist leader Govind Pansare (February 2015), Kannada scholar MM Kalburgi (August 2015) and Bangalore journalist Gauri Lankesh (September 2017), advocating rationalism, sparked nationwide discourse on freedom of expression and the threats posed by extremist ideologies. Despite significant progress in the case, questions linger regarding the broader conspiracy and the potential involvement of higher authorities within certain extremist organisations.

Not happy with verdict: Prithviraj Chavan

Soon after the verdict, former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said he was not happy with it and asserted right wing outfit 'Sanatan Sanstha' was a "terrorist organisation" whose role in the killing of the renowned rationalist hasn't been made clear.

"I am not happy with the judgment. What is the role of the Sanatan Sanstha and who is the mastermind of the murder has not been made clear. Similarly, (it has not been made clear) if there is a link between Dabholkar's killing and the murders of Govind Pansare and Gauri Lankesh," Chavan said.

"The demand for a ban on the Sanatan Sanstha is still pending with the Centre. The Sanatan Sanstha is a terrorist organisation," Chavan pointed out.

Incidentally, addressing a press conference in Pune after the court verdict in the Dabholkar case, the Sanatan Sanstha's spokesperson Abhay Vartak had slammed Chavan.

Dr Dabholkar was murdered on August 20, 2013 at 7.20 am and within one-and-a-half hours, then Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, while speaking to media persons, said the killing might have been carried out by pro-Hindutva people, and thereby misled the investigation, Vartak alleged.

Dabholkar, an anti-superstition crusader, was shot dead while on a morning walk on Omkareshwar Bridge in Pune on August 20, 2013.