Pansare killing: Sanatan Sanstha accuses Maharashtra Police of witch hunting

Kolhapur (Maharashtra) [India], Aug. 02 (ANI): Non-government charitable trust Sanatan Sanstha on Wednesday accused the Maharashtra Police of implicating 'innocent' seekers of the organisation in the murder case of Gopal Pansare, without an iota of evidence against them. The organisation said that whether it is the Pansare or Dabholkar killing, 'innocent' seekers of the organisation are being implicated and persecuted by the police. "To declare rewards for informants of Sanatan's seekers, but not the killers of Pansare is a prejudicial act by the police," read a statement released by the organisation. "The innocent Samir Gaikwad who was arrested in the case of Pansare killing was incarcerated for 21 months; he was recently granted a bail. Virendra Tawde is behind bars since last one year. On the top of it, the Kolhapur Police have declared a reward of Rs. 10 lakh for providing information on Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar, who are not being located for last few years, and thus, the police attempt to hide their inefficiency," it read. The organisation said that it does not have any objection over such declaration of award since both of them are suspects as per police. "However, when there are no strong proofs and investigation is yet incomplete, to declare reward for giving information on those two is inappropriate," it further read. The organisation further said that if the reward had been declared for giving information on the killers of Pansare, it would have been more appropriate. "However, the attempt to purposefully implicate the Sanatan's seekers without following the proper procedure, is a prejudicial act on the part of the Police administration, which is the outcome of the pressure brought by so-called rationalists. And this is one of the reasons for the Police investigation still going astray," remarked Sanatan Sanstha spokesperson Abhay Vartak. The organisation linked the above with the plan hatched to take revenge with it. "The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and Sanatan Sanstha exposed the corruption in Shri Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur, and the CID inquiry in this case has been initiated. An individual who is involved in the above scam has suddenly tipped the police that the seekers of Sanatan Sanstha and volunteers of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti are involved in the Pansare killing, and the fact that the description given by him matched with that of Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar is a pure coincidence," it read. It further clarified on the same, putting forward its defence. "However, the gun used in Dabholkar killing and seized from Nagori is with the Police from 2003. How did this gun reach the killers of Pansare in 2015 and how did it come back to the Police? It is beyond comprehension that the Kolhapur Police are not speaking a word about investigating this incident," the statement read. The organisation alleged that the police are turning blind to all the other information it is receiving regarding Pansare killing, and are only concentrating on their organisation. "The police are receiving several letters and details about Pansare killing. However, they have adopted a policy to throw all these letters and details in garbage can except for those connected with some particular organisations and individuals who are prejudicially targeted by the police," said Vartak. In 2014, Pansare was gunned by two unidentified persons when he was returning home from his morning walk. The SIT in its chargesheet named Sanatan Sanstha's activist Samir Gaikwad as co-conspirator and said he along with other Sanatan activists killed Pansare. (ANI)