Shashikant Warishe, a 48-year-old journalist from Rajapur area of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra died Tuesday after he was mowed down by a vehicle which was being driven by a person against whom Warishe had written an article Monday. The accused was arrested immediately after the incident, the police said.

Warishe, who is survived by his elderly mother, wife and 19-year-old son, worked in a local Marathi newspaper and had been covering issues related to the setting up of the Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) in Barsu which is being opposed by a section of locals.

The man behind the wheels was identified as Pandharinath Amberkar. Warishe had written an article in the Mahanagari Times titled ‘Photo of criminal alongside PM, CM and DCM claim farmers protesting against refinery’.

The article had named Amberkar and had alleged that he is a criminal. Amberkar is alleged to be a supporter of the refinery and is said to have an FIR filed against him for threatening locals who are opposed to the refinery.

On Monday, Warishe was standing near a petrol pump on the Rajapur Highway when Amberkar allegedly mowed him down with his SUV. The vehicle dragged Warishe for several metres under the wheels before coming to a halt. The police said when the locals rushed to help, Amberkar fled from the spot and Warishe was lying in an unconscious condition on the road. He was rushed to the local hospital for the treatment, however, he succumbed to his injuries Tuesday morning.

Dhananjay Kulkarni, the Superintendent of Police of Ratnagiri, said they arrested the accused immediately after the incident and he was produced in the court which remanded him to police custody till February 14.

 Shashikant Warishe

“As soon as we came to know about the incident, we swung into action and traced the accused by evening and placed him under arrest. We produced him in the court Tuesday morning. The court has granted his police custody till February 14. Further probe is on,” Kulkarni told The Indian Express.

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When asked about the motive of the accused and his background, Kulkarni said, “We have got his custody and we will interrogate him to ascertain the motive as well as his profession.”

While the Rajapur police had initially registered a case of culpable homicide, local activists and Warishe demanded the police to press murder charges against Amberkar.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction’s Member of Parliament, Vinayak Raut, also alleged that it was a murder and said he will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also raise the issue in Parliament.

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Raut also alleged that Amberkar has a history of such attacks on activists who are against the refinery and that several FIRs have been registered against him.

“The death is not accidental but a clear foul play and an attack by the land broker. I will write a letter to the Prime Minister and demand a discussion on the refinery,” Raut said.

The RRPCL, promoted by the three major public sector oil companies — Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd — was originally planned in Nanar village of Ratnagiri district.

Shiv Sena had opposed the project citing local opposition and after party president Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister, he announced that no project will be constructed at Nanar. Since then, the location was finalised at the Barsu-Solgaon area. Locals have opposed the project citing possible environmental damage due to the project. When Devendra Fadnavis was the CM in alliance with the Sena in 2014-19, he too had surrendered before the Sena’s opposition saying the project won’t be constructed in Nanar.

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Local environmental activists and the villages have been protesting against the refinery project in Konkan region as they fear pollution and destruction of the region, which is largely dependent on agriculture and famed for the Alphonso mango.