Cong leader stoned to death near Nagpur

NAGPUR: Former Nagpur zilla parishad vice president and local Congress leader, Dnyan-eshwar Satha-wane was stoned to death by a mob of over 100 Shiv Sena workers in Tarsa village near Mouda, 80 km from Nagpur, on Thursday night

He was brought to Nagpur’s Suretech hospital where he was declared dead after midnight. He was cremated on Friday amid high tension.

Gopal Lohabare, a Sena member in the ZP, was beheaded in Tarsa last year. The Sena had accused Sathawane of masterminding the murder but there was no evidence against him.

Thursday’s fury turned out to be a close call for state public works/NCP minister, Anil Deshmukh and independent MLA, Sunil Kedar and others. But a few policemen and Congress-NCP workers, who tried to save Sathawane, bore the brunt of the attack.

Deshmukh and Kedar were in Tarsa to address a meeting ahead of the February 10 by-poll for the ZP seat which fell vacant after Lohabare’s death.

The NCP has fielded Laxman Umale as the coalition candidate against Lohabare’s widow, Nanda.

Deshmukh had apparently warned Sathawane against going to the meeting.