A day after journalist Shashikant Warishe was mowed to death by a vehicle driven by land dealer in Ratnagiri district, the Opposition Congress, Bombay Union of Journalists and Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) have on Wednesday termed the death as a “ well-planned murder" and demanded an "impartial" investigation and stringent action against the accused behind the incident.
Forty-eight-year-old Warishe — who was working for a local Marathi newspaper “Mahanagri Times” and was injured in the mishap on Monday evening — succumbed to injuries on Tuesday morning.
Warishe, who had written a series of articles against the proposed complex of Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) coming up with foreign collaboration, at Barsu, had published an article that named Pandharinath Amberkar, a supporter of the proposed refinery and alleged that he was criminal.
On February 6, Warishe had written an article against Amberkar in “Mahanagari Times “headlined ‘Photo of criminal on banner alongside that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Eklnath Shinde and Deputy chief minister Decvendra Fadnavis. In his article, Warishe had written that FIRs had been lodged against Amberkar for land grab intimidation.
Amberkar was behind the wheels of an SUV (MH08 AX6100) when the mishap took place near a petrol pump on a highway. Amberkar allegedly mowed down Warishe, who was on a scooter. The scooter was crushed under the SUV.
Warishe was rushed to a nearly local hospital where he succumbed to injuries on Tuesday morning. Within hours after the incident, Amberkar was arrested by the Ratnagiri police. He was produced at a local court which remanded him in police custody till February 14. Dubbing the mishap as a “well-planned murder” Chief spokesperson of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Atul Londhe demanded that the person who killed journalist Warishe should be punished strictly.
“The killing of a journalist is an atrocious murder of democracy and a stain on a progressive state like Maharashtra.. It is a matter of concern that attacks on journalists are increasing in Maharashtra for doing their work. Even when there is a journalist protection Act, criminals still don't seem to be scared,” Londe said.
Alleging that the law and order had broken down in the state ever since Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government came to power in June last year, Londhe said: “MLAs of the ruling alliance openly fire bullets, threaten to beat up people, assault principals. Police officers are also threatened but the Shinde-Fadnavis government is not taking any action against those taking law into their hands.
Expressing shock over the killing of journalist Warishe, the Maharashtra state unit of PUCL demanded an “impartial” investigation into the incident and prosecution of the accused behind the incident. It also demanded adequate compensation to the family of Warishe and urged the state government to police protection to his family members. Condemning the “murder” of Warishe, the BUJ said that the accused Amberkar was involved in cases of land grab and of intimidation and force against activists opposing the refinery project in the area.
“This area has been the site of intense agitation over the Nanar refinery where local agriculturalists have been staunchly opposing the project as they fear it will destroy the environment, besides their lives and livelihood,” BUJ’s general secretary Indrakumar Jain said in a statement.
While the MVA government had scrapped the refinery project what was to come up at Nanur. However, the current Shinde-Fadnavis government shifted the project to Barsu-Salgaon, 20 kms away from Nanar. However, local groups are resisting the project.
Meanwhile, three other journalist organisations --All India Marathi Patrakar Sanghi, Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh, the Mantralay Ani Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh have urged the state government to take immediate action in the matter and hand out stringent punishment to the accused.