AIDES CALL IN SICK

TWISTS IN THE TALE: Yeshwant Sonawane’s weeping PA Raju Kale (face covered by white kerchief) and stunned driver Kailash Gawli (below hotel sign) in a room inside the Sagar dhaba after the killing on January 25

Following Allegations Of Bribery, Sonawane’s Driver And Personal Assistant Get Themselves Admitted To Hospital

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Manmad (Nashik): The aides of additional collector (Nashik) Yeshwant Sonawane, who was burnt alive in Panewadi on Tuesday, have proceeded on sick leave following allegations that they had been accepting bribes from the oil mafia.
The men arrested for Sonawane’s murder have reportedly told the police that Sonawane’s personal assistant (PA) Raju Kale and driver Kailash Gawli were each
accepting Rs 2,000 per month from the oil mafia.
Ten men have been arrested for burning alive Sonawane on Tuesday at Panewadi near Manmad. A 11^th man, the main accused, Popat Shinde, is in critical condition with 75% burns at J J Hospital, Mumbai.
Kale and Gawli are both complainants and the prime witnesses in the case. While Kale has been admitted to a Pune hospital, Gawli is under observation in a Malegaon hospital. “Kale complained of chest pain and severe depression, so we admitted him to hospital,” said a woman from Kale’s family. Gawli’s family members said that he has been shocked since the incident and has not been eating properly.
Kale’s and Gawli’s family members said on Friday that the two men would be standing by the statements they have given to the police. “They will not retract anything,” one person, who did not wish to be named, said. The two men have told the police that they were also beaten up by the suspects and had to run to save their lives. They drove Sonawane’s car to the Nandgaon tehsildar’s office and informed the police, who reached the spot in halfan-hour.
More than 20 litres
of kerosene were used
to burn Sonawane alive.
The fuel was pilfered just a day before the killing, the accused have revealed during the interrogation. All the accused belong to Manmad and neighbouring villages.
“During the interrogation, they said that the kerosene used to burn Sonawane was pilfered from a tanker a day before the incident. Such pilfered kerosene is sold at a cheaper price to eating houses and restaurants in and around Manmad,” said an officer involved in the investigation.
Sonawane was on his way from Chandwad taluka to Nandgaon when he spotted an oil tanker stationed behind Sagar Dhaba at Panewadi village near Manmad. Sonawane reached the spot along with Kale and Gawli. He saw men pilfering kerosene from the tanker. “When he questioned them, the men called the prime suspect, Popat Shinde, who reached the spot in 15 minutes. An argument turned into a nasty brawl. Shinde’s son, Kunal, 17, attacked Sonawane with an iron rod and, later, Shinde poured a can of kerosene on Sonawane and set him on fire,” said Rafeeque Shaikh, investigating officer at Manmad police station.
Shinde was involved in fuel pilferage for over 20 years. He built a bungalow on 2,000 sq ft 10 years ago at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. The bungalow is located in Shravasti Nagar near Manmad railway junction. He was busy with the 10th-day rituals for his wife’s death when he was told about Sonawane’s arrival. Shnde has been booked nine times under the Essential Commodities Act. In 2006, he was externed from Manmad. Sonawane had lodged two complaints against Shinde. His truck was seized and when it was to be released on a court order, Sonawane had signed the papers.
Meanwhile, doctors at J J Hospital in Mumbai have said that Popat Shinde remains in critical condition with 75% burns. They said there has been no major change in Shinde’s condition for the past 48 hours.