Shot Dalit activist told police about threat to life on January 18

Pune, IE, FEb 25, 2013

Dalit human rights activist Chandrakant Jaywant Gaikwad (30) shot dead on Tuesday had filed a complaint at Walchandnagar police station hardly a month ago stating a threat to his life and activists have now sought action against the police for not acting on the complaint, which they said could have prevented the killing.

The same people Gaikwad suspected were allegedly behind his murder.

Pune rural police have intensified a search for the suspects including notorious goon Satpal Mahadev Rupnavar (22) of Jamb, his aide Santosh alias Lubya Chandalkar and three others.

Gaikwad, shot dead at Jamb village of Indapur taluka in Pune district, had on January 18, 2013, reportedly hinted at a plot by them to murder him. Activists allege his murder even after his complaint is the result of police failure in taking prompt action.

Superintendent of police Manoj Lohiya, however, said they had followed up on Gaikwad’s complaint but had been misled.

“Following Gaikwad’s application, the assistant inspector at Walchandnagar police station did question a man who had reportedly given information to Gaikwad about threats to him from the suspects. But the man denied having given such information.”

CCTV footage shows double-murder suspect was miles away from crime spot

A sessions court has granted bail to a 22-year-old engineering student in a double-murder case after CCTV footage was shown as proof to show he was at Tuljapur Temple, about 250 km away from the scene of crime, on the day of the incident, December 2011.

The student, Kiran Sidhram Jadhav of Chinchwadgaon was one of the suspects arrested in the case. Additional sessions judge S D Tekale granted Jadhav bail on the condition of co-operating with police and a personal bond of Rs 50,000. Milind Pawar and Sachin Hingekar were the defendant’s lawyers. On the night of December 8, 2011, Raju Chaudhary (30), a worker at SR Traders at Borate Vasti, and Baadshah Siddiqui (26), brother-in-law of the owner of SR Traders Salim Siddiqui, were beaten to death inside a godown.