Pune RTI activist found dead
MISSING SINCE JAN 30 Cops arrest two, third suspect on the run; family blames police for delay in filing complaint
PUNE: Twelve days after he went missing, Vinayak Shirsath, 32, a Right To Information (RTI) activist who was associated with the city unit of the Republican Party of India (A), was found murdered at Pune’s Tamhini Ghat on Monday evening.
Shirsath, a resident of Shivane area in Pune, had filed multiple RTI applications with various authorities.
According to a senior police officer, Shirsath had sought details on alleged illegal constructions in Ambegaon and Narhe. A senior Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) official said they had acted on some of the unauthorised constructions the activist pointed out.
“Shirsath called his wife at 1-1:30pm on January 30 and said he was coming home for lunch. But his phone went unreachable since 4pm,” said his sister-inlaw, Manisha Shirsath. Priti Tipre, assistant police commissioner of Lashkar division, said, “Based on the family’s complaint, a case was registered on February 5.”
“Why did the police take seven days to file a case? When we went to follow-up with the police, we were told they will bring back my son within 10 days. When we started to protest in front of the police station on Monday, they told us to stop,” said Asha, Shirsath’s mother.
According to the police, the body may have been lying in the bushes for over a week and had decomposed beyond recognition. The police claimed post- mortem report confirmed that there were stab wounds.
“Two men – Farukh Shaikh and Mukhtar Ali – have been arrested from Telangana. They fled from Pune to Madhya Pradesh,” said Sameer Shaikh, assistant commissioner of police, crime-1, Pune.
“We are yet to arrest the third suspect. The motive will be clear once we arrest him,” said Shrirish Sardeshpande, deputy commissioner of police (crime branch).
The family claims the police let go off the alleged third suspect, Om Prakash Verma. “He has fled and has left with his wife and children. Now the police are unable to find him,” said Pooja Tayade, Shirsath’s elder sister.
The father of Shirsath has submitted a list of over 70 builders whose role he suspects in the murder.