'Maharashtra police made arrest in Pansare case only after Karnataka cops got leads'

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee on Thursday accused the state government of not being serious about cracking down on the right-wing organisation Santhan Sanstha early on, and said it woke up only after the Karnataka police got certain leads.

Maharashtra police have arrested Samir Gaikwad, a member of Sanatan, in the CPI leader Govind Pansare murder case.

"Karnataka police (while investigating murder of the writer M M Kulburgi) reached Kolhapur and Sangli (in Maharashtra) to investigate the leads they had got regarding involvement of Sanatan members," state Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant said here.

"Now Maharashtra police have woken up and expedited investigations into Pansare case. Gaikwad had been called by the police and let off a few months ago," he alleged.

Accusing the BJP-led government of wanting to derail the investigation of Pansare murder case, Sawant alleged that the police were being asked to look for "a different angle".

He also alleged that former union home secretary R K Singh played a role in the Centre's rejection of the previous (Congress-led) government's request to ban Sanatan Sanstha.

"Singh benefited by his decision," Sawant said, referring to his joining the BJP post-retirement and becoming an MP.

The Congress spokesperson also sought probe into financial background of Sanatan Sanstha.

"The outfit has been threatening journalists, but the government is not taking action against it, he said, demanding immediate ban on the organisation.

Sawant also said that the tone of the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's reply to the open letter by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai was unbecoming of former.

"Maharashtra respects democratic traditions in which dissent is respected. Successive Congress Chief Ministers have always done this. It is wrong to label individuals who do not agree with you and indulge in personal attacks," he said.