Anti-superstition leader Narendra Dabholkar shot dead; Prithviraj Chavan announces Rs10 lakh reward

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: Daily News & Analysis India

Anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar, who was at the forefront of a campaign to persuade Maharashtra government to pass an anti-superstition and black magic bill, was shot dead by two unidentified youths at 7.20 am on Omkarweshwar bridge near Cosmos Bank in Pune on Tuesday morning.
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Dabholkar's murder comes days after the Maharashtra government assured introduction of the anti-superstition bill even as Right Wing groups continued to oppose the bill.
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Police inspector Manohar Joshi, incharge of Deccan Gymkhana police station, said, "We are scrutinising nearby CCTV cameras for the identity of suspects. Eyewitnesses have noted the number (7756) of the motorbike. We are probing the incident. Dabholkar was shot at from a close range and the assailants fled the place via Rasta Peth Road."
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A staunch fighter for the cause of eradication of inhuman rituals and superstitions, Dabholkar was also in the forefront of the campaign to persuade Maharashtra government to pass an anti-superstition and black magic bill, opposed by certain sections of Warkari sect, in the State legislature.

Read more: http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/1877004/report-leading-anti-superstition-activist-narendra-dabholkar-shot-dead-in-pune

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Hailing from Satara, Dabholkar studied medicine from Miraj Medical College and practised medicine for about a decade, before taking up social work.

In 1989, he founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS)-- the Committee for the Eradication of Blind Faith --, along with a few like-minded people and raised cudgels against all types of superstitions, irrational practices, blind faith and beliefs, confronting dubious tantriks and babas who preyed on the gullible masses.

He also led agitations against superstitions, animal sacrifices and even water pollution, wrote columns and articles on his favourite topics and was editor of a couple of journals dedicated to the cause.

A look at the website antisuperstition.org showed how passionate he was about the cause and showcased the depth of his research about the topic. The site explains many superstitions like ghosts, black magic, witchcraft and provides scientific arguements against them.It also lists down many activities that one can undertake to dispel such superstitions and support the cause.

http://www.indiatimes.com/news/more-from-india/narendra-dabholkar-antisuperstition-activist-shot-dead-96367.html

[Blue_Tires]

1. k+r

[uhnope]

2. more right wing terrorism?

Dabholkar's murder comes days after the Maharashtra government assured introduction of the anti-superstition bill even as Right Wing groups continued to oppose the bill.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Narendra Dabholkar: India's Maharashtra state bans black magic after killing

The Indian state of Maharashtra has enacted emergency laws banning black magic and superstition, one day after a prominent campaigner was killed.

Anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar, 71, who campaigned for the law, was shot dead in the city of Pune on Tuesday by unidentified gunmen.

Many businesses closed to protest against his killing and chanting demonstrators marched through the city.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-23776406