Govind Pansare Case: SIT official assaulted, threatened to face worse torture accused held in Narendra Dabholkar case

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) official, who is investigating the murder of a communist idealogue Govind Pansare allegedly assaulted and threatened two accused, saying if they don’t confess their role in Pansare murder case they should be ready to face worse torture when the SIT takes their custody.

These two accused were arrested for the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar.  When they were in CBO’s custody, the Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad (HVP) made an allegation against SIT official of threatening and assaulting the two accused held in Narendra Dabholkar murder case.

Sanjiv Punalekar, an advocate and secretary of the Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad (HVP), it is a voluntary organisation of nationalist, who devout Hindu advocates. The alleged incident took place on September 8, when the two accused in the Dabholkar case — Rajesh Bangera and Amol Kale — were in the CBI’s custody, he said.

“The SP-level official of the Maharashtra police SIT allegedly assaulted the duo. He threatened them and said if they don’t confess their role in the Pansare murder case they would face “worse torture” when the SIT takes their custody,” Punalekar quoted as saying to PTI.

Also read: Narendra Dabholkar murder case: CBI takes Amol Kale in custody in Gauri Lankesh murder case

While, Police believe the accused must have links in both the killing of Dabholkar at Pune in 2013 and Pansari at Kolhapur in 2015. The CBI is probing the Dabholkar case, while the state police are looking into Pansare’s killing.

Bangera, during his production, told a Pune court Monday that he was assaulted by a police officer while he was in the CBI’s custody, Punalekar told PTI. Bangera was later remanded in judicial custody by the court.

“When we talked to Kale, he, too, revealed he was subjected to assault by the official,” Punalekar claimed. “Following which we gave a written application to the court about the incident and the matter is slated for a hearing of September 14,” he added.

Punlekar further said, “Another accused in the Dabholkar case, Sachin Andure, who is judicial custody and lodged in Pune’s Yerwada Jail, also claimed the same SIT officer had brutally assaulted him when he was in the CBI’s custody.” While he also accused the CBI officer of assaulting Andure too saying, he also claimed, both the officers had the blessing of higher authorities.

The HVP organisation has also written a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Home Minister demanding probe into this alleged assault.

Also read: Gauri Lankesh murder case: Parashuram Waghmare shot scribe, claims SIT