Nashik/Mumbai: Eleven persons have been arrested in the murder of Additional District Collector Yashwant Sonawane who was burnt alive by suspected members of local oil mafia members, as the official's family and BJP demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Manmad) Samadhan Pawar told that 'involvement of more and important people in the crime cannot be ruled out.' Main accused Popat Shinde, who is in critical condition after sustaining burn injuries while setting on fire the Malegaon ADC yesterday after he detected pilfering of kerosene, was shifted to state-run J J hospital in Mumbai.
He is reported to be in a serious condition. Popat Shinde, who has two earlier cases registered against him in connection with fuel adulteration, was first admitted to Nashik civil hospital. The other six accused were produced before a local court in Manmad town and remanded in police custody till February 8, Pawar said.
The accused have been booked under relevant sections of IPC including murder charge and some provisions of Essential Commodities act, police said. Four more persons were arrested in connection with the gruesome murder tonight on the basis of information provided by those remanded in custody, Nashik SP Milind Bharambe said. They have been identified as Kunal Shinde, Hakkaki Khan, Imran Khan and Ajay Sonawale, he said, adding, they were present when the incident took place.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan vowed to go into the 'root' of the incident after 42-year-old Sonawane was done to death near Manmad in Nashik district yesterday. He also ordered strict action against those indulging in adulteration of fuel over which the state bureaucrat lost his life.
The total number of arrests rose to seven after three more persons were picked up late last night. While Popat, Sitaram Balerao and Raju Shirsat were arrested soon after the shocking incident, four more accused Vikas Shinde, Machindra Suradkar alias Kacharu, Tauseef Shaikh and Deepak Borse were picked last late night, police said. Pawar said the main accused's son Kunal Shinde is still at large. In a hurriedly-called press conference yesterday, Additional Director General (Law & Order) K P Raghuvanshi said Kunal had also been arrested. The last rites of Sonawane were conducted in Nashik last night.
Several government officials were also present at the funeral. The demand for a CBI inquiry was made by the victim's brother-in-law Anand Dani. "Sonawane's Personal Assistant as well as the driver was there when the incident occurred. It is surprising that only he was targeted," Dani said. Mobile phone records of Sonawane should be checked and the probe should be handed over to CBI, Dani said.
BJP spokeperson Prakash Javadekar expressed shock over the incident and demanded a CBI probe to unearth the nexus among oil mafias, bureaucrats and politicians. Sonawane's personal assistant and official driver managed to escape from the assailants from the scene of the crime.