Mumbai/ Nagpur: The state police department has deputed its competent sleuths to assist CBI in the investigation of murder of a senior social worker Dr Narendra Dabholkar, informed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday.
The CBI had demanded the assistance of state police sleuths who had earlier participated in investigating the Dabholkar murder case, and the state government had responded positively the call of CBI so that the investigation might get momentum and culprits be caught immediately, Fadnavis clarified while approving the CBI demand, and added that the state police sleuths would be attached to CBI for a period of three months or until completion of investigation.
The state police sleuths to be deputed to CBI include ACP G S Madgulkar (Pune), PI Satish Devare (Nagpur), PI Chandrakant Ghodake (Yavatmal), PI Dinkar Kadam (Pune) and API Subhash Chavan (Pune).
Dabholkar, one of the torch bearers of the rationalist movement in Maharashtra, was shot dead from a close range in broad daylight by unknown gunmen who are believed to have followed him when he was taking his customary morning walk.
After an unsuccessful investigation by Pune police under the then commissioner Gulabrao Pol – who himself was later accused of employing superstitious methods to find the killers – the Bombay high court transferred the case to the CBI in May 2014 in an order passed in a PIL.
However, no breakthrough has been made so far in the investigation.
Maharashtra was rocked by the murder of another rationalist Govind Pansare a few months back in Kolhapur in a similar fashion by unknown gunmen when he was out for a morning walk.
