Mumbai: Sanjay Raut writes to Fadnavis over journalist Shashikant Warishe's 'murder'
Feb 11, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 11 : Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday wrote to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis requesting him to look into the matter of the 'murder' of Marathi journalist Shashikant Warishe in Ratnagiri.
Warishe was killed in a road accident, hours after his report on the proposed Nanar refinery in Ratnagiri was published in newspaper.
On February 6, Shashikant Warishe was standing near a petrol pump on the Rajapur highway when the accused allegedly ran him over with his car. The vehicle reportedly dragged Warish for several meters under the wheels before coming to a halt, the police said.
"When people rushed to help, the accused fled from the spot and Varishe was lying unconscious on the road. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday morning," Police added.
Recently, Warish carried a report describing Ambekar as a 'criminal' and highlighted photographs where he is seen in the same frame with the Chief Minister and Prime Minister.
Ambekar, a leader of the local land mafia, was known to threaten and harass those who resisted any land acquisition on behalf of the upcoming refinery.
Ratnagiri Superintendent of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni said that the accused was arrested and produced before the court, which sent him to police custody till February 13.
Ratnagiri Police had initially registered a culpable homicide not amounting to murder, but later the police added IPC section 302 against accused Ambarkar.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Press Club has also demanded to order for a "wide-ranging" probe into the murder.
"Though the local police have arrested the assassin Ambekar, there is a need for the Maharashtra Government to order a wide-ranging probe into the murder. This must include investigating a possible conspiracy, which may involve corporate elements, to strangle the local opposition to the refinery," the statement by the club said.
"The Mumbai Press Club demands that the killing be probed from all angles and that Pandarinath Ambekar, as well as those who have possibly conspired with him to carry out the killing, be brought to book. The Club also demands that Warishe's family be provided with protection during the investigation period and fair compensation for the murder of the breadwinner," it further said.
