Mon Oct 21 09:10:00 UTC 2024: – **Outrage over Appointment**: Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, had been nominated as the chief of the Jalna assembly poll campaign, which led to public backlash.
– **Background on Shrikant**: Arrested in August 2018, he received bail from the Karnataka High Court in September 2024. The chargesheet claims he played a role in briefing the murder conspirators on precautions and offered legal training.
– **Murder Case Context**: Gauri Lankesh was killed on September 5, 2017, by a group of 18 Hindutva loyalists, with Amol Kale as the prime accused.
– **Cancellation of Appointment**: Following directives from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena has stayed Pangarkar’s appointment, rendering all related district-level appointments null and void.
– **Controversial Timing**: Pangarkar’s nomination occurred soon after the felicitations of Gauri’s alleged shooter, Parshuram Waghmore, and co-accused Manohar Yadve by right-wing groups after their release on bail.
– **Political Background**: Shrikant has a long history in politics, starting with the Shiv Sena in 1996, and previously associated with the right-wing Hindu Janajagruti Samithi since 2011.
First Piper 