Marathi daily editor arrested in murder case

The Editor-in-Chief of Marathi daily Deshonnati, Prakash Pohare, was today arrested in connection with the killing of an employee in the newspaper's printing press at Gondkhairi near Nagpur, police said.

Pohare was arrested in Akola by a police team from Nagpur, Superintendent of Police, Nagpur Rural, Manoj Sharma said.

Rajendra Dupare (50), a security supervisor at the printing press, was shot dead on October 13 when Pohare along with a security guard, Ganesh D Fungud, had gone to the press where some employees of the paper were holding an agitation.

The security guard, accompanying Pohare, allegedly fired at Dupare from his rifle after they had a scuffle. Dupare was taken to Government Medical College Hospital where he was declared brought dead.

However, the newspaper, in its October 14 edition, published Pohare's statement, who said he was attacked when he arrived at the press, and the security guard Fungud fired in defence.

Pohare, Fungud and two others, who were absconding, had been booked under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC.

His application for anticipatory bail was rejected by a lower court and the same was to come up today before the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court.

Pohare is being brought to the city and will be taken to Kalmeshwar police station, under whose jurisdiction the murder took place, Sharma said.