Journalist murder: Sanjay Raut demands Rs 50 lakh aid for kin

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday called the killing of journalist Shashikant Warishe a “political murder” and demanded that the Maharashtra government provide aid of Rs 50 lakh to his family, even as Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed the incident an “attack on democracy”.

Warishe (48) was mowed down by an SUV allegedly driven by land dealer Pandharinath Amberkar in Ratnagiri district on February 6 and died in hospital the next day. Amberkar, arrested for murder, allegedly used to threaten any person who opposed land acquisition for a proposed refinery in the area.

Talking to reporters, Raut said he has written to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to provide financial aid to the slain journalist’s family. “He died due to the government’s negligence. There is pressure on the police to press those who oppose the setting up of a refinery in the area,” he said.