The murder of journalist Shashikant Warishe has sparked outrage in Maharashtra, with politicians and members of the public alike demanding swift justice for the deceased. The state government has responded by announcing the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged murder.
Warishe, who was mowed down by an SUV driven by land dealer Pandharinath Amberkar, was a vocal critic of the latter’s actions and had written an article exposing his alleged threats against anyone who opposed land acquisition for a proposed refinery in the area. The murder, which occurred just hours after the article was published, has been widely condemned as an attack on democracy.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde referred to the murder as an “attack on democracy” and vowed that the guilty would not be spared. He was joined by Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who announced that the SIT would be headed by a high-ranking official.
The opposition, however, is not satisfied with the government’s response. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar stated that the law and order situation in the state was worsening and expressed doubt as to how seriously those in charge of maintaining it were taking the situation. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut went further, calling the murder a “political murder” and demanding that the government provide aid of Rs 50 lakh to Warishe’s family.
The journalist’s death has also sparked a wave of protests across the state. Several hundred journalists held a protest in Rajapur city, with activists and members of a community organization joining in to demand, among other things, the cancellation of the proposed refinery project. The Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical project, which was scrapped before the 2019 polls, had been revived by the Union government just last year.
Tahir Rihat (also known as Tahir Bilal) is an independent journalist, activist, and digital media professional from the Chenab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known for his work as the Online Editor at The Chenab Times.
