Three more held for burning Malegaon officer

MALEGAON - Three more people were Wednesday arrested for burning to death additional district collector Yashwant Sonawane while he was conducting a raid on the oil mafia for pilferage from kerosene tankers near here. In all, seven accused have been remanded to police custody till Feb 8.

The three held were Vikas Shinde, Sitaram Bhosale and Deepak Borase. Four people - the prime accused Popat Shinde, his son Kunal, Raju Shirsat and Kachru Suvaralkar - were arrested Tuesday.

Popat Shinde, who also sustained 60-65 percent burn injuries, is in a Malegaon hospital where his condition is reported to be serious.

The accused were presented in a Malegaon court and remanded to police custody till Feb 8, a police official said.

Sonawane, 44, was doused with kerosene and burnt alive in Panewadi, near Manmad in Nashik district, on Tuesday, after he went to conduct a raid on the local oil mafia for pilferage from kerosene tankers.

A 1994-batch Maharashtra cadre officer, Sonawane was posted at Malegaon since over a year. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Mahrashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had late Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs.25 lakh for Sonawane’s family along with other benefits like a government job to one dependent family member, salary till his retirement date, free education for his two children till graduation and a residence from the government quota.

Residents of Malegaon and surrounding towns unfurled the tricolour Wednesday on the occasion of Republic Day amidst tight security and a grim atmosphere to pay tribute to Sonawane.

The Maharashtra Gazetted Officers Federation, meanwhile, has called for a daylong strike Thursday to protest against Sonawane’s murder.