Karnataka - Belgaum   

Women’s groups want murder accused held

Belgaum: Several women’s organisations here have called for a “Belgaum bandh” on Friday in support of their demand for arrest of Praveen Tanmaji Shintre who is allegedly involved in three cases of rape and murder in the district. They have also decided to take out a march in the city on Thursday.

The organisations have appealed to the public to lend support to the bandh call.

Members of the State unit of the National Federation of Indian Women and other organisations, who met at Maruti Mandir here on Wednesday, were sore over “failure” of the police to nab Praveen and his associates, who have been absconding ever since their “involvement” in the cases came to light.

Praveen, who was the city unit president of Samajwadi Party, was expelled after his involvement in criminal activities had come to light.

“We do not want the police to arrest them and then allow them to remain in jail, from where they will operate their underworld activities outside. Hand them over to us and we will give them the punishment they deserve,” the women’s group members said.

Mother of Raziya Ilahi Badebhai, who was murdered in February last, alleged that the police had not responded to her pleas to arrest Praveen. Had the police arrested him, the life of Sheetal would have been saved, she said.

The police issued a release late in the evening saying that both Praveen and Parshuram Venkanna Kamble had been absconding and they were looking out for them.

The police said Praveen and Ranjeet Arjunrao Shintre were the main accused in the rape and murder of Sheetal Chougale, wife of Ravindranath Chougale. She was allegedly raped and murdered by the accused.

Sources said that Ravindranath himself had given contract to Praveen to kill his wife, as the former had an affair with another woman.

According to sources, the accused had raped Sheetal in a bungalow in Ganeshpur on the outskirts of Belgaum. She was murdered and her body thrown in a jungle in Khanapur taluk about four months ago. The police said two other members of the gang, Vijayanand Shinde alias Dingo Shinde of Bachi and Rajesh Mahadev of Laxminagar, near Hindalga, had been arrested. They had confessed to having committed four murders, including that of Raziya Ilahi Badebhai on February 23 last.

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