Journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder accused joins CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead of Maharashtra polls

Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the sensational 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, which sparked outrage across India, recently joined Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead of assembly polls.

Pangarkar, a former municipal councillor in Maharastra was recently granted bail by Karnataka High Court.

Lankesh (55) was shot dead by three shooters outside her home in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017, after she had returned from office. Her killers were wearing helmets and escaped on a two-wheeler after the murder.

A probe by police in Karnataka assisted by agencies in Maharashtra led to the arrest of several accused in her murder case.

Pangarkar, a Jalna municipal councillor of the undivided Shiv Sena between 2001 and 2006, was arrested in August 2018 in connection with the murder of Lankesh and released on bail by the Karnataka High Court on Sep 4 this year.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the journalist-activist's murder had pointed to Pangarkar being the senior associate of main suspect Amol Kale. Investigators had revealed that Pangarkar was in touch with Kale before and after Lankesh's murder.

Pangarkar joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Oct 18 in the presence of party leader and former state minister Arjun Khotkar.

"Pangarkar is a former Shiv Sainik and has returned to the party. He has been nominated as the chief of the Jalna assembly poll campaign," Khotkar told reporters.

He said Pangarkar wants to contest the assembly poll from Jalna, but added seat-sharing discussions in the Mahayuti (ruling alliance comprising Shiv Sena, BJP and Ajit Pawar-led NCP) were still underway. The seat is currently held by Congress' Kailash Gorantyal.

Pertinently, after Pangarkar was denied a ticket by the Shiv Sena in 2011, he joined the right-wing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly polls will be held on Nov 20, while results will be declared on Nov 23. The term of the current assembly ends on Nov 26.

Lankesh worked as an editor in Lankesh Patrike, a Kannada weekly owned by her father P. Lankesh, and ran her own weekly called Gauri Lankesh Patrike. She was honoured with the Anna Politkovskaya Award for speaking against right-wing Hindu extremism, campaigning for women's rights and opposing caste-based discrimination.