Narendra Dabholkar: Difference between revisions
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Murdered on 20 August 2013, while out on a morning walk, Dabholkar was shot down by two unidentified gunmen near Omkareshwar temple, Pune at 7:20 AM IST. The assailants fired four rounds at him from a [[point blank]] range and fled on a motorcycle parked nearby.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/1877240/report-a-blow-by-blow-account-of-the-last-moments-of-narendra-dabholkar-s-life | title = A blow by blow account of the last moments of Narendra Dabholkar's life | date = 2013-08-20 | newspaper = DNA }}</ref> <ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/sorry-doctor-we-didnt-deserve-you/article5065450.ece Sorry doctor, we didn’t deserve you - The Hindu<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Two bullets hit Dabholkar in his head and chest. He later succumbed to his injuries while being treated at [[Sassoon Hospital]]. |
Murdered on 20 August 2013, while out on a morning walk, Dabholkar was shot down by two unidentified gunmen near Omkareshwar temple, Pune at 7:20 AM IST. The assailants fired four rounds at him from a [[point blank]] range and fled on a motorcycle parked nearby.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/1877240/report-a-blow-by-blow-account-of-the-last-moments-of-narendra-dabholkar-s-life | title = A blow by blow account of the last moments of Narendra Dabholkar's life | date = 2013-08-20 | newspaper = DNA }}</ref> <ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/sorry-doctor-we-didnt-deserve-you/article5065450.ece Sorry doctor, we didn’t deserve you - The Hindu<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Two bullets hit Dabholkar in his head and chest. He later succumbed to his injuries while being treated at [[Sassoon Hospital]]. |
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Dabholkar's assassination was condemned by many political leaders and social activists. The Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan announced a reward of {{INRConvert|10|l}} to any person with information of the assailants.<ref name="DNA_2013-10_lakh">{{cite web | url=http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/1877004/report-leading-anti-superstition-activist-narendra-dabholkar-shot-dead-in-pune | title=Anti-superstition leader Narendra Dabholkar shot dead; Prithviraj Chavan announces Rs10 lakh reward for info on killers | location= Mumbai | publisher=''[[Daily News and Analysis|DNA]]'' | date=20 August 2013 | accessdate=20 August 2013 | author=Deshmukh, Chaitraly}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Anti-superstition-activist-Dabholkar-shot-dead-in-Pune-CM-Pawar-condemn-killing/articleshow/21930127.cms? | title = Anti-superstition activist Dabholkar shot dead in Pune; CM, Pawar condemn killing | newspaper = The Times of India | location = Pune | date = 2013-08-20 }}</ref> Furthermore, political parties called for a [[bandh]] (strike) in Pune on 21 August,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/maharashtra/bandh-in-pune-over-rationalist-narendra-dabholkar-s-murder_870470.html | title=Bandh in Pune over rationalist Narendra Dabholkar's murder | date=21 August 2013 | accessdate=21 August 2013}}</ref> and various institutions across Pune remained closed to protest Dabholkar's assassination.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/1878022/report-bandh-a-partial-success | title=Bandh a partial success | location= Pune | publisher=''[[Daily News and Analysis]]'' | date=22 August 2013 | accessdate=22 August 2013 | author=Bende, Anurag}}</ref> Chavan stated on 26 Aug 2013 that the police have some clues about his murder |
Dabholkar's assassination was condemned by many political leaders and social activists. The Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan announced a reward of {{INRConvert|10|l}} to any person with information of the assailants.<ref name="DNA_2013-10_lakh">{{cite web | url=http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/1877004/report-leading-anti-superstition-activist-narendra-dabholkar-shot-dead-in-pune | title=Anti-superstition leader Narendra Dabholkar shot dead; Prithviraj Chavan announces Rs10 lakh reward for info on killers | location= Mumbai | publisher=''[[Daily News and Analysis|DNA]]'' | date=20 August 2013 | accessdate=20 August 2013 | author=Deshmukh, Chaitraly}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Anti-superstition-activist-Dabholkar-shot-dead-in-Pune-CM-Pawar-condemn-killing/articleshow/21930127.cms? | title = Anti-superstition activist Dabholkar shot dead in Pune; CM, Pawar condemn killing | newspaper = The Times of India | location = Pune | date = 2013-08-20 }}</ref> Furthermore, political parties called for a [[bandh]] (strike) in Pune on 21 August,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/maharashtra/bandh-in-pune-over-rationalist-narendra-dabholkar-s-murder_870470.html | title=Bandh in Pune over rationalist Narendra Dabholkar's murder | date=21 August 2013 | accessdate=21 August 2013}}</ref> and various institutions across Pune remained closed to protest Dabholkar's assassination.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/1878022/report-bandh-a-partial-success | title=Bandh a partial success | location= Pune | publisher=''[[Daily News and Analysis]]'' | date=22 August 2013 | accessdate=22 August 2013 | author=Bende, Anurag}}</ref> Chavan stated on 26 Aug 2013 that the police have some clues about his murder.<ref> Times of India, Aug 26, 2013, Pune [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Police-have-some-clues-in-Narendra-Dabholkar-murder-case-Prithviraj-Chavan/articleshow/22059973.cms Police have some clues in Narendra Dabholkar murder case: Prithviraj Chavan] (Accessed on 26 Aug 2013)</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 05:32, 5 September 2013
Narendra Dabholkar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 November 1945 |
| Died | 20 August 2013 (aged 67) Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | Social activist |
| Spouse | Shaila |
| Children | Mukta, Hamid |
| Website | antisuperstition |
Narendra Achyut Dabholkar (1 November 1945 – 20 August 2013)[1] was an Indian rationalist and author from Maharashtra. He was the founder-president of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), an organization set up to eradicate superstition.
Early life
Dabholkar was born on 1 November 1945 to Achyut and Tarabai, being the youngest of ten siblings, the eldest was the late educationalist, Gandhian and socialist Devdatta Dabholkar.[2] He did his schooling at New English School Satara and Willingdon College Sangli. He was a qualified medical doctor, having obtained an MBBS degree from the Miraj Medical College.[1] He was married to Shaila and has two children, Hamid and Mukta Dabholkar.[3]
He was the captain of the Shivaji University Kabaddi team. He represented India against Bangladesh in a Kabaddi tournament. He won the Maharashtra government's Shiv Chhatrapati Yuva Award for Kabaddi.[1][4]
Activism
After working as a doctor for 12 years, Dabholkar became a social worker in the 1980s.[5][6] He became involved with movements for social justice, such as Baba Adhava's One village - One well agitation.[7]
Gradually, Dabholkar started focusing on eradication of superstition, and joined the Akhil Bharatiya Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (ABANS). In 1989, he founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti ("Committee for Eradication of Superstition in Maharashtra"), and campaigned against superstitions, confronting dubious tantriks and claimed holy men who promised 'miracle cures' for ailments.[8][9] He criticised the country's "godmen", self-styled Hindu ascetics who claim to perform miracles and have many followers.[10] He was the founding member of Parivartan, a rehabilitation centre located in Satara.[11] He was closely associated with the leading Indian rationalist Sanal Edamaruku.[12] Dabholkar was the editor of a renowned Marathi weekly Sadhana, which was founded by Sane Guruji.[5] He also served earlier as a vice president of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Association.
Between 1990–2010, Dabholkar had taken part in agitations in Maharashtra like the movement protesting for the equality of Dalits, against caste discrimination and in naming the Marathwada University after Babasaheb Ambedkar. He wrote books on superstitions and their eradication, and had addressed over 3,000 public meetings.[3] Dabholkar had taken on Asaram Bapu in March 2013 over an incident during Holi in Nagpur, when Bapu and his followers used drinking water from tankers brought from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation for celebrating the festival and wasting over 50,000 liters while rest of Maharashtra faced drought.[13][14]
Anti-superstition and black magic bill
In 2010, Dabholkar made several failed attempts to get an anti-superstition law enacted in the state of Maharashtra. Under his supervision, MANS drafted the Anti-Jaadu Tona Bill (Anti-Black Magic Bill).[15] It was opposed by Hindu extremist organizations across the board as well as the Warkari sect.[5] Political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena opposed it claiming it would adversely affect Hindu culture, customs and traditions.[16] Critics accused him of being anti-religion but in an interview with the Agence France-Presse news agency he said, "In the whole of the bill, there's not a single word about God or religion. Nothing like that. The Indian constitution allows freedom of worship and nobody can take that away, this is about fraudulent and exploitative practices."[10]
A couple of weeks before his death, Dabholkar had complained that the bill had not been discussed despite being tabled in seven sessions of the state assembly. He accused the chief minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan of stifling progressive thought in the state.[17] A day after Dabholkar's murder, the Maharashtra Cabinet cleared the anti-black magic and superstition ordinance, however the parliament would still need to support the bill for it to become law.[10][18]
Assassination
Dabholkar had faced several threats and assaults since 1983 but had rejected police protection.[3]
"If I have to take police protection in my own country from my own people, then there is something wrong with me, I'm fighting within the framework of the Indian constitution and it is not against anyone, but for everyone."[3]
- Dabholkar on rejecting police protection
Murdered on 20 August 2013, while out on a morning walk, Dabholkar was shot down by two unidentified gunmen near Omkareshwar temple, Pune at 7:20 AM IST. The assailants fired four rounds at him from a point blank range and fled on a motorcycle parked nearby.[19] [20] Two bullets hit Dabholkar in his head and chest. He later succumbed to his injuries while being treated at Sassoon Hospital.
Dabholkar's assassination was condemned by many political leaders and social activists. The Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan announced a reward of ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) to any person with information of the assailants.[11][21] Furthermore, political parties called for a bandh (strike) in Pune on 21 August,[22] and various institutions across Pune remained closed to protest Dabholkar's assassination.[23] Chavan stated on 26 Aug 2013 that the police have some clues about his murder.[24]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Shailendra Paranjpe (20 August 2013,). "Narendra Dabholkar: A rationalist to the core". DNA. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ Chinchkar Dilip Kumar (2010-12-19). "तर्कशुद्ध विचारांचा मूर्तिमंत आविष्कार: परिवर्तन चळवळीतील विचारवंत शिक्षक". Sakal (in Marathi). Mumbai. p. 9.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ a b c d Radheshyam Jadhav (21 August 2013). "Doctor who fought to stamp out superstition". Times of India.
- ^ "Founder:Dr. Narendra Dabholkar". Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
- ^ a b c "Narendra Dabholkar, the man who waged a war against superstition in all forms". DNA. Pune. 2013-08-20.
- ^ Johannes Quack (2011). Disenchanting India: Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India. Oxford University Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-19-981260-8. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
- ^ Satyajit Joshi (21 August 2013). "Dabholkar was a true crusader of rationalism". Hindustan Times.
- ^ Priyanka Kakodkar (21 August 2013). "He was not against God but fought exploitation". The Hindu. Retrieved The HinduKakodkar.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ <"Anti-superstition campaigner killed in Pune". Business Standard. 2013-08-20.
- ^ a b c "Narendra Dabholkar: India's Maharashtra state bans black magic after killing". BBC India. 21 August 2013.
- ^ a b Deshmukh, Chaitraly (20 August 2013). "Anti-superstition leader Narendra Dabholkar shot dead; Prithviraj Chavan announces Rs10 lakh reward for info on killers". Mumbai: DNA. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Maseeh Rahman (2013-08-20). "Indian anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar shot dead". The Guardian.
- ^ "Social group blames Asaram Bapu for 'wasting' water". Nagpur: Yahoo! News. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Mehta, Tejas (18 March 2013). "As Maharashtra battles drought, Asaram Bapu wastes water, abuses media". Mumbai: NDTV. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Full text of the draft Anti-Superstition Law proposed by Narendra Dabholkar". DNA. Pune. 2013-08-20.
- ^ "Pilgrims' annual march of faith may grind to a halt". Times of India. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "'CM failed to discuss Anti-Jaadu Tona Bill'". DNA. Pune. 2013-08-06.
- ^ "Maharashtra Cabinet clears anti-black magic and superstition ordinance". IBNLive. 2013-08-21.
- ^ "A blow by blow account of the last moments of Narendra Dabholkar's life". DNA. 2013-08-20.
- ^ Sorry doctor, we didn’t deserve you - The Hindu
- ^ "Anti-superstition activist Dabholkar shot dead in Pune; CM, Pawar condemn killing". The Times of India. Pune. 2013-08-20.
- ^ "Bandh in Pune over rationalist Narendra Dabholkar's murder". 21 August 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ Bende, Anurag (22 August 2013). "Bandh a partial success". Pune: Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Times of India, Aug 26, 2013, Pune Police have some clues in Narendra Dabholkar murder case: Prithviraj Chavan (Accessed on 26 Aug 2013)