Dabholkar, Gauri Lankesh murders linked, CBI tells court
Pune, Aug 26: In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday said it has established links between the murders of Pune-based rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and Bengaluru-based journalist Gauri Lankesh.
The CBI said it had established the crucial connection before the Shivajinagar Magistrate's Court in Pune to extend the police custody of one of the prime suspects, Sachin Andhure.
Accordingly, the custody of Andhure - arrested from Aurangabad last week - has been extended till August 30.
Medico and rationalist Dabholkar (67), who fought against superstitious beliefs through his Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), was gunned down near his residence on the morning of June 20, 2013.
Two unidentified motorcycle borne assailants fired several rounds at him near the Omkareshwar temple in Pune.
Almost four years later, Gauri Lankesh (55), journalist-cum-activist, was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.
She also served as the editor of 'Lankesh Patrike', a Kannada weekly launched by her father P. Lankesh, and also ran her own weekly called 'Gauri Lankesh Patrike.'
Though the two high-profile murders were committed four years apart, in both these cases, the long suspected alleged role of certain right-wing activists, including those associated with Sanatan Sanstha and others, has now emerged.
In its remand plea, the CBI has not yet named any organisation/s which could be involved in these cases.
The remand application adds that during interrogation, Andhure revealed that one of those arrested for the Gauri Lankesh murder had handed over to him a 7.65-mm country made pistol and three bullets.
Later, Andhure - arrested by the CBI last week - claimed he passed it on to his brother-in-law Subham Surale in Aurangabad, on August 11, 2018.
Surale in turn passed the weapon to his friend Rohit Rege in the same city, though the motives are not clear.
Andhure's name was revealed by Sharad Kalaskar, a resident of Nalasopara, Palghar, arrested by the Maharashtra ATS after a major arms haul there on August 10.
It was Andhure and Kalaskar himself who went on a motorcycle and shot Dabholkar that day, he (Kalaskar) revealed.
Now, armed with the fresh information, the CBI plans to seek Kalaskar's custody, after his remand with Maharashtra-ATS ends later this week.
The CBI will also apply for the remand of one of the accused arrested by the SIT of Karnataka police in the Lankesh killing besides making efforts to trace the missing motorcycle used in the Dabholkar murder in Pune.
"Some of the accused in the Gauri Lankesh case are connected with Sachin Andhure and Narendra Dabholkar's murder," the CBI remand application said, seeking the extension of Andhure's custody.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
