Sharad Kalaskar, who confessed to have shot at rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune in 2013, has also revealed that the next target was justice BG Kolse Patil, a former judge of the Bombay High Court.
During the course of investigation of the Gauri Lankesh case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka had recovered a diary from another accused Amol Kale. The diary had a ‘hit list’ of several rationalists, anti-Hindutva activists and scholars, thus revealing a larger conspiracy in place. This diary and the investigation of SIT Karnataka had cautioned the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) about the arms hauling in Nallasopara in Mumbai, and that is when Kalaskar was arrested.
It is now also established that Kalaskar was involved in the plans of assassinations of Govind Pansare and Lankesh. As Newsclick reported, Virendra Tawade of the Sanatan Sanstha (SS) had brainwashed Kalaskar instructing him to kill “evil people.” Former Bombay High Court judge, Kolse Patil, going by the definition of the “evil people” by SS, has been a strong voice against the HIndu Rashtra project and on several occasions has blatantly attacked, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was also one of the key organisers of the Elgar Parishad, an event to commemorate the anniversary of Bhima-Koregaon battle, that focussed on anti-communalism and against Hindutva forces.
According to a report in Sabrangindia, Kole-Patil unearthed the Hindu terrorists plans in Nanded and Malegaon. He was accompanied with the rights activists Teesta Setalvad, Arvind Deshmukh and others. In one of his interviews with journalist-activist, Teesta Setalvad, he says, “the biggest threat to the country now is RSS, it’s ideology and Hindutva. I blatantly define Hindutva=Brahmanvad=Varna system= Desh thodnewale (one who break the nation. The reason why they are a threat is because there is no religion called Hindu in the country. Their aim is to divide people to ensure Brahminism remains established in the top.”
About Muslim terrorism, he says it is complete injustice to one community, because whenever you catch any Muslim youth without any proof you start calling him terrorist but in the case of Hindutva militants, BJP and other saffron fundamentalists openly support them despite proof of their involvement in the bomb blasts in Nanded, Malegaon and other places. Also, he says covering up the incidents points to the deeper conspiracy.
NDTV has reported Kolse-Patil as saying that, Sanjeev Panalekar a lawyer of SS was openly issuing threats to him and he in the past has had received hate and threat messages and calls. Since the past three months, the noted retired judge has been provided with security by the state.
