Maharashtra civic polls: Gauri Lankesh murder accused in fray; to run as independent for Jalna corporation

NEW DELHI: Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, will contest the January 15 Jalna Municipal Corporation election in Maharashtra as an independent candidate.He is running from Ward 13, facing opponents from the ruling BJP and several other parties, while deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has not fielded a candidate, news agency PTI reported. Incidentally, ahead of the November 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, Pangarkar had joined the Shiv Sena. However, following public outcry, Shinde put his induction into the party on hold.Earlier, Pangarkar served as a member of the Jalna Municipal Council from 2001 to 2006, representing the undivided Shiv Sena. After being denied a ticket in 2011, he joined the right-wing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.In August 2018, he was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with the seizure of crude bombs and weapons from various parts of the state. He was booked under the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).In the Gauri Lankesh murder case, Pangarkar was granted bail by the Karnataka high court in September 2024.Lankesh, who ran the weekly "Gauri Lankesh Patrike," a Kannada-language tabloid, was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on September 5, 2017. The murder made national headlines, sparking debates over alleged “intolerance” in the country under the ruling BJP.The Karnataka Police identified and charge-sheeted 18 suspects, arresting 17 of them in connection with the case.The trial in the case began in May 2022.