Rationalist, anti-superstition crusader and founder of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), Dr Dabholkar, was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants on the VR Shinde bridge in Pune on the morning of August 20 in 2013.

Dr Narendra Dabholkar was 67 when he was shot dead.

By Chandan Haygunde , Sushant Kulkarni

Nearly 11 years after rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune, a special court Friday convicted his assailants, Sachin Prakashrao Andure and Sharad Bhausaheb Kalaskar, and sentenced them to life imprisonment for murder. It acquitted three others including the alleged mastermind Dr Virendrasinh Sharadchandra Tawade.

Citing lack of evidence, Special judge P P Jadhav acquitted Tawade, lawyer Sanjiv Gajanan Punalekar and activist Vikram Vinay Bhave, all linked to the Sanatan Sanstha.

This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.