Maha: Police slap murder charge against man arrested for mowing down journalist

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Police on Wednesday slapped the murder charge against a man arrested for allegedly mowing down a journalist with his car in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, an official said.

Several media organisations had demanded a probe into the death of scribe Shashikant Warishe, claiming he had written against local land dealer Pandharinath Amberkar, who is said to be a supporter of the proposed Ratnagiri refinery project.

Also read: Maha: PUCL shocked over killing of journalist Shashikant Warishe; demands immediate cessation of land acquisition for refinery project

The organisations claimed Amberkar crushed the scribe's bike under his car at a petrol pump in Ratnagiri district on Monday. Warishe succumbed to the injuries at a Kolhapur hospital on Tuesday.

The accused (42) was arrested under section 304 (Culpable Homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police have added section 302 (Punishment for murder) in the FIR against Amberkar, the official said.

He was remanded in police custody in Rajapur till February 13.

Police are investigating the exact motive behind the murder.

Earlier, Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Patrakar Parishad members had met Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a probe into Warishe's death.

The Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical project, earlier proposed to be built at Nanar village in Ratnagiri district in coastal Konkan, was scrapped before the 2019 polls at the insistence of Shiv Sena, the then alliance partner of BJP.

A Union minister had last year said establishing a 60-million metric tonne per annum oil refinery will be the biggest plant in the world and hinted at its revival.

Meanwhile, PUCL, a leading human rights organisation in India, has expressed shock at the "ghastly killing" of journalist Shashikant Warishe and demanded immediate cessation of land acquisition for refinery project.

In a statement, People's Union of Civil Liberties (Maharashtra) said that it believes that the killing of the journalist is designed to silence and intimidate all those who dare to speak up and to uncover the intimidation and land-grab that has been going on in the name of acquisition of land for the project.

"There have been major violations of the civil liberties with the ongoing agitation of residents over the location of the Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical Ltd in the eco-sensitive zone in Rajapur taluka of Ratnagiri district. Though the project was scrapped in Nanar, it has been shifted to Barsu-Solgaon villages barely 20 kms away. The local residents have continued to raise a voice against the destruction of the environment and expressed grave apprehensions of pollution due to the mega-crore refinery.

"Several FIRs have been filed against residents who have been peacefully protesting against the project. Externment notices have been issued against members of the Refinery Virodhi Sanghatana whereas no action has been taken against the goons engaged by the company. Repression in the area has greatly increased with the locals not even being allowed to hold peaceful meetings. The Gram Panchayats of the area have issued several resolutions protesting against the high handedness of the authorities but to no avail.

"Local residents who were organised under the banner of the Refinery Virodhi Sanghatna, to oppose the mega-crore Barsu-Salgaon refinery project in Ratnagiri district of Konkan in Western Maharashtra, have issued statements condemning the incident and demanding a thorough investigation, apart from immediate arrest of the accused. PUCL (Maharashtra) endorses this demand and adds that the police investigation must be totally independent and free of any influence."

The Human Rights group demanded the Police prosecute the accused Pandharinath Amberkar and any others found involved for the murder and that strict punishment be awarded to the perpetrators.

Besides, it said, all land acquisition process for the refinery be stopped immediately and that the criminal action including FIRs and externment proceedings initiated against the local residents, protestors be taken back immediately.