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Pune RTI Activist, Who Spoke Against Civic Lapses, Murdered Brutally With Concrete Blocks

He was reportedly killed over a rivalry during the recent municipal elections.
They have been remanded to eight-day police custody.
AFP/Getty Images
They have been remanded to eight-day police custody.

On Sunday evening, Suhas Haldankar, an RTI activist who exposed several civic lapses in Kharalwadi area of Maharashtra, was murdered brutally. Eleven people have been arrested, including a former Congress corporator, reports Pune Mirror. They have been remanded to eight-day police custody.

According to the police, Haldankar was murdered over the rivalry during the recent municipal elections.

The RTI activist had reportedly called out on the inefficiency of local corporators in Kharalwadi area of Pimpri-Chinchwad.

On Sunday evening when Haldankar was going home on his motorbike, he was reportedly stopped by two of the accused at a chowk in Kharalwadi area. The accused then went on to ridicule Haldankar for a board he had put up recently, highlighting the lack of basic civic amenities in Kharalwadi.

An argument started. Soon, others joined in.

According to an Indian Express report, a bunch of 10-12 people then started throwing concrete blocks towards Haldankar. He then collapsed. Haldankar died before he was taken to the hospital.

Assistant inspector R R Thubal, who is probing the case told Indian Express that the initial probe revealed that one of the accused, who worked as a watchman at the children's home run by Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, had lost his job after Haldankar had complained that he would often be absent.

Haldankar's supporters alleged that former corporator Sadguru Kadam and his family members had conspired against him. Kadam has also been arrested.

"When Haldankar was raising issues in the area, Kadam felt that Haldankar was campaigning against him in his ward," one of Haldankar's supporters told Pune Mirror. Kadam and his family members felt that Kadam had lost the recent municipal election because of Haldankar.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.