Pune techie murder: Hindu Rashtra Sena head remanded in one-day police custody

PUNE: The chief of right wing outfit Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) Dhananjay Desai was today remanded in police custody for a day after being arrested for his alleged involvement in murder of 28-year-old techie Mohasin Shaikh by a violent mob at suburban Hadapsar following surfacing of a Facebook post denigrating King Shivaji and late Bal Thackeray.

Desai was produced in a magistrate's court charged with murder, and conspiracy under sections 302 and 120(b) with the public prosecutor pleading for his custodial interrogation to further investigate the role of HRS in the conspiracy and murderous attack on Shaikh.

The self-styled HRS head had already been in judicial custody in connection with another case registered in rural Pune for an inflammatory speech and circulation of provocative literature, when he was arrested by crime branch officials last night in the Hadapsar murder case.

Public prosecutor B R Patil who pleaded for 7 day police remand for Desai told the court that police also wanted custody of the accused to recover weapons and bikes used in the assault.

Opposing the prosecution plea, the defence counsel Rajendra Sonavale said that his client had been " falsely implicated" in the case and had nothing to do with the violence that led to the murder.

The magistrate ordered one day police remand after hearing the arguments. Police have arrested 20 other HRS activists in connection with the murder of Shaikh who was beaten to death in mob violence with use of hockey sticks and wooden stumps.

Cyber cell of city police has registered an offence under IT Act against unknown persons for creating social tension by uploading the defamatory contents on the social networking site.