Maharashtra journalist who wrote article ‘Photo of criminal alongside PM, CM..’ killed

Mumbai: The 48-year-old Shashikant Warishe, a journalist working for a local Marathi newspaper - Mahanagari Times, was mowed down by Pandharinath Amberkar, against whom Warishe had written an article titled ‘Photo of a criminal alongside PM, CM and DCM claim farmers protesting against refinery’.

Warishe had been closely covering the issues related to the Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) in Barsu, which has been in limbo after locals raised their objection against the setting up of the refinery citing environmental issues.

However, Amberkar is said to have been supporting the refinery and have several cases been registered against him for threatening the locals and environmentalists who oppose the refinery.

In the article, Warishe called Amberkar a criminal and wrote about his activities opposing the campaign against the refinery. According to the Police, Amberkar ran his SUV over Warishe, who was standing near a petrol pump on the Rajapur Highway.

Amberkar was reported to have dragged Warishe for several miles until it caught the attention of the locals who rushed to the spot to help Warishe while Amberkar escaped the scene. Warishe breathed his last at a hospital a day after he was admitted with injuries.

Dhananjay Kulkarni, the Superintendent of Police of Ratnagiri, was quoted by The Indian Express as saying that the accused was immediately arrested after the incident and was produced in the court which remanded him to police custody till February 14,

While the Rajapur police had initially registered a case of culpable homicide, local activists and Warishe demanded the police to press murder charges against Amberkar.