Virendra Tawade planned Govind Pansare murder, cops tell court

Virendra Tawade, a member of the Sanatan Sanstha, is the key conspirator in the murder of Govind Pansare, a rationalist and CPI leader, the police told the court when Tawade was produced before it. The police also said that Vinay Pawar is the third accused in the murder case. Samir Gaikwad, another Sanatan Sanstha member, is the first accused, the police added.

Earlier this week, the CBI had named Tawade as the key conspirator in the chargesheet filed in a Pune court in connection with the murder of another rationalist, Dr Narendra Dabholkar.

Suhail Sharma, an additional superintendent and member of the special investigating team for the case, told the district sessions court during a hearing in the Pansare murder case on Thursday that Tawade is the key conspirator who had formulated the plan to kill Pansare. But the police is yet to find out where, how and with whom he had made the plan, Mr Sharma added.

Witness Sadwilkar has identified Pawar, since he had seen Pawar roaming around near Pansare’s home a day before the murder. Pawar has been missing since a blast at a trade centre in Madgoan, Goa, on October 16, 2009.

The police also found medicines used to influence the central nervous system at the Sanatan Sanstha ashram in Panvel during a raid on Thursday. The police is now looking into whether the accused used these medicines to hypnotise people and make them do their bidding.

Meanwhile, the court has extended Tawade’s police custody till September 16, which is when the case would be heard next.