MUMBAI: Maharashtra government, on Wednesday, announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on two key absconding accused wanted in the killing of veteran communist leader Govind Pansare.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the killing had recommended that an attractive reward is announced for the information on the killers. The recommendations were accepted by the state government after which the announcement in this regard was made at Kolhapur.
Reward of Rs 10 lakh was announced on Vinay Pawar and Sarang Akolkar, who opened fire at Pansare and his wife Uma on the morning of February 16, 2015, Kolhapur Range IGP Vishwas Nangare-Patil said in a statement released from Kolhapur. Besides the reward, the police have also issued non-bailable warrants against the two, he said.
While Pansare, 81, succumbed to his injuries on February 20, Uma survived the murder attempt. She recognised the pictures of the two gunmen who opened fire at them, said Nangare-Patil.
Another prime accused in the case, Samir Gaikwad, who is in custody now, was in regular contact with the Pawar and Akolkar and a witness also testified that Pawar, hailing from Sangli and Akolkar of Pune district, had visited a shop in Kolhapur to buy a revolver, Nangare-Patil added.
The Central Bureau of Investigation had earlier announced a Rs 5 lakh reward for information on the two.
Pansare killing is among the three murders of rationalists and civil society activists including Narendra Dabholkar who was gunned down on August 20, 2013 in Pune, and M.M. Kalburgi who was shot dead in Dharwad in neighbouring Karnataka on August 30, 2015.