The state government on Saturday announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would probe the alleged murder of journalist Shashikant Warish in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district. Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that an SIT headed by a high-ranking officer would probe the matter. Earlier this week, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had called Warish’s killing an attack on democracy. Varishe (48) was run over by an SUV allegedly driven by land dealer Pandharinath Ambarkar in Rajapur on February 6. Warishe died in the hospital the next day.
Ambarkar allegedly threatened anyone who opposed land acquisition for a proposed refinery in the area, and an article written by Warish against Ambarkar appeared in a local Marathi newspaper on the morning of the incident.
Several hundred journalists protested in the city of Rajapur on Saturday against the killing of Waris. Activists of the Barsu Solgaon Panchkroshi Anti-Refinery Organization, which is opposing the proposed refinery, and members of Kunabi Samaj, a community organization, also participated in the protest. The protesters demanded cancellation of the refinery project.
The Ratnagiri refinery and petrochemical project was scrapped ahead of the 2019 elections at the behest of the Shiv Sena, the then coalition partner of the ruling BJP. The central government had last year hinted at its revival at another location.
(With PTI inputs)
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