Dabholkar murder: Sanatan worker picked up from Goa

A Sanatan Sanstha worker was picked from Goa by Pune police, as part of its probe into the murder of anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar.

Sandip Shinde (31), a Sanatan 'Sadhak' was taken into custody last night by a team of Pune police which descended at the ashram in Ramnathi village in Ponda, 30 kms away from here.

Goa police had also accompanied their Pune counterparts during a search at the ashram premises which continued for almost an hour.

"Shinde was brought to Ponda police station for recording his statement," Ponda police inspector C L Patil told PTI today. Later, he was taken to Pune.

The 69-year-old social activist was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne unidentified assailants on August 20 in Pune when he was out for a morning walk on the Omkareshwar Temple bridge in the city.

Earlier, the Sanstha had sought to distance itself from the rationalist's killing in the backdrop of reports that the Hindu outfit could have a role in the murder.

Denying the allegations, it had said that they had differences with his ideology not with him as an individual, while conceding that Dabholkar did "commendable" work.

Also, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had hinted at the possibility of the involvement of right-wing organisation behind the killing of Dabholkar by equating his assassination with that of Mahatma Gandhi.