The CPI on Wednesday sought a judicial inquiry into the killing of noted rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune, alleging the crime must have been committed by “fanatic right-wingers.”
“He must have been killed by people belonging to right wing, by those who stand by obscurantism, medieval chauvinism. His murder is a great disaster. I urge upon you to initiate a judicial inquiry into the event of his murder and punish the culprits who had been associated with it. It may not have been done by a single person,” CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.
Terming the murder as “a crime against humanity”, he said 69-year-old Dabholkar was fighting superstition and black magic and had opposed godmen, temple trusts and even the state government on several issues.
“He was vilified. Even his Press conferences were disrupted. He was physically attacked. He was under threat to his life, but he never cared to take a police escort. He targeted the government and miracle cures and regressive religious practices,” Dasgupta said, demanding an immediate probe.