Narendra Dabholkar Murder: No Political Will To Investigate Conspiracy, Says Rationalist Avinash Patil

By Dilip -
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has not disclosed anything about the status of investigation to the people of Maharashtra in the past five years. Actual probe has been done by Karnataka Police, says Dr. Narendra Dabholkar’s successor Avinash Patil.

Next month, it will be six years since Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, a well respected rationalist and campaigner against superstition from Maharashtra, was murdered while he was out on a morning walk in Pune. Since then, three more anti-fascist activists who were effective campaigners against right-wing ideas and politics―Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh—have been murdered and investigating agencies believe the murders may be linked. Members of the Sanatan Sanstha have been accused of executing the murders but no one has been convicted so far. 

"Remember Gandhi. Remember what we did to him": last threat to Narendra Dabholkar from right-wing organizations // "If anyone must die, let it be me" - Dabholkar refused security cover

Along with six years of the murder, August will also mark the 30th birth anniversary of the Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith’ which was set up in August 1989 by Dabholkar with his peers. A unique organisation which has branches in all districts of Maharashtra and about 10,000 active members, the Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith, better known as the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, was the vehicle for implementing Dr Dabholkar’s ideas and plans for battling superstition and promoting rationalism in the so-called progressive state of Maharashtra. It is currently led by Executive President Avinash Patil, who has also been a long term rationalist activist. 

Presently, Patil is busy planning a day-long international conference on ’Rationalism for the Development of Humanity” to be held in Mumbai on 9 August and a two-day convention of the Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith on 10 and 11 August. He was in New Delhi last week in connection with these events and spoke with HuffPost India during the brief visit. Patil said the organisation will now focus on changing government policies and setting up an institute for training and research in Maharashtra. He also described in detail, without holding back his punches, the political apathy shown by both Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments in
Maharashtra and at the centre in probing the conspiracy to murder Dr. Narendra Dabholkar and other rationalist activists... read more:
https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/dabholkar-successor-avinash-patil-on-murder-probe_in_5d347bdce4b020cd9944e728

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