Written by: Ms. Sayed Roohy, Volunteer-AFRS
Case Background
The series began on August
20, 2013, when Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, a renowned
anti-superstition crusader, was shot dead during his morning walk in Pune.
Dabholkar had long campaigned for the Maharashtra Anti-Superstition and Black
Magic Act, making him a target for extremist groups opposed to rationalist
ideologies.
Eighteen months
later, on February 16, 2015, Govind Pansare,
a veteran CPI leader and social activist, was attacked near his home in
Kolhapur along with his wife. While she survived the ambush, Pansare succumbed
to his injuries five days later. Like Dabholkar, Pansare had publicly condemned
religious extremism and promoted secular thought.
Just six months
later, on August 30, 2015, Professor M. M. Kalburgi,
a Kannada scholar and vocal critic of idol worship and dogma, was assassinated
at point-blank range outside his residence in Dharwad, Karnataka. All three
victims were known for their outspoken views challenging blind faith,
superstition, and communalism.
The Link Between the Murders
The modus operandi
in all three cases was strikingly similar: the victims were attacked in the
morning, in or around their homes, by assailants on motorcycles using
country-made pistols. The killers left no digital footprints, and there were no
immediate claims of responsibility. However, investigators from different
states began collaborating after media and public pressure, eventually
realizing that the weapon signatures, firing styles, and cartridges
recovered bore uncanny resemblance.
It was the bullets
and casings left behind that spoke the loudest. The seemingly silent
projectiles became the storytellers of a hidden conspiracy when analyzed under
the scrutiny of forensic scientists.
Forensic Ballistics Investigation
The forensic
ballistics investigation played a pivotal role in connecting the murders of Dr.
Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, and Prof. M. M. Kalburgi. At each crime
scene, crime scene teams meticulously recovered bullets and spent cartridge
casings that would later become the most vital forensic evidence. The pattern
of attacks suggested the use of country-made 7.65 mm pistols, although the
firearms themselves were not initially recovered. The breakdown of ballistic
evidence included:
·
Two spent casings recovered from Dabholkar’s
murder site in Pune.
·
Five spent casings found at the scene of
Pansare’s attack in Kolhapur.
·
Two spent casings retrieved after Kalburgi was
assassinated in Dharwad.
Experts from state
forensic labs in Gujarat, Karnataka, and Maharashtra carried out comparative
ballistic analysis using comparison microscopy, a technique that examines the
microscopic striation marks on bullets and cartridge cases. These striations,
created by the unique internal surface of the firearm barrel and firing
mechanism, serve as a ballistic fingerprint. Forensic specialists used
dual-view microscopes to match rifling grooves and firing pin impressions. The
breakthrough in the analysis established that:
·
The same pistol was used In both the Kalburgi
and Pansare murders.
·
A second, structurally similar pistol was used
in the Dabholkar and Pansare cases.
These microscopic
markings on metal were considered definitive, confirming that at least two
country-made pistols had been shared or circulated between perpetrators,
thereby linking the three murders through hard physical evidence.
In December 2015,
the Maharashtra CID officially confirmed that the three rationalists had been
killed using 7.65 mm country-made pistols. This conclusion was reinforced by
independent technical confirmations from the forensic science labs in Gujarat
and Karnataka, which further validated the ballistic consistency across cases.
The forensic evidence was so strong that it not only connected the three
initial murders but later, in 2017, the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh was
also linked through ballistic comparison to the same network—indicating a
larger conspiracy behind the ideological killings.
Accused and Victims
The investigation
led to the arrest of several suspects allegedly affiliated with the radical
Hindutva groups Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. One key accused,
Sharad Kalaskar, confessed during interrogation that he had dismantled and
disposed of four country-made pistols—believed to have been used in the
murders—into Vasai Creek in Maharashtra.
The victims—Narendra
Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, and M. M. Kalburgi—were not just intellectuals but
symbols of free speech and secular thought in India. Their deaths were not only
tragic but were deliberate acts aimed at silencing dissent in democratic discourse.
Conclusion
As of mid-2025,
multiple arrests have been made in connection with the rationalist murders, but
no convictions have yet been secured based solely on ballistic evidence, and
court proceedings remain ongoing. While forensic ballistics provided critical
breakthroughs by linking the murders through microscopic striation patterns on
bullets and cartridge casings, the absence of the actual weapons—many of which
were dismantled and disposed of—continues to hinder conclusive jury
determinations. Nevertheless, the case stands as a powerful testament to the
value of forensic ballistics. The recovered bullets and casings served as
silent witnesses, carrying the crucial clues that connected four high-profile
ideological murders across state lines. Through advanced forensic comparison,
investigators uncovered coordinated patterns of extremist violence, even in the
absence of eyewitnesses or confessions. These findings have not only driven the
investigation forward but have also influenced broader policy reforms concerning
firearm tracking, standardization of forensic protocols, and improved
inter-agency cooperation—affirming the indispensable role of forensic science
in the pursuit of justice
