The body of Shrikant Khandalkar was found on Sunday -- face smashed and other injuries visible -- behind the district court in Nagpur.
Yet another activist has been found dead under suspicious circumstances in Maharashtra. And as the police say it could be a case of suicide, the family and friends of Shrikant Khandalkar have raised protests.
The body of Mr Khandalkar was found on Sunday -- face smashed and other injuries visible -- behind the district court in Nagpur. Police sources say a suicide note, written in Marathi and found in his pocket, has been sent for forensic examination.
Mr Khandalkar's family friend and advocate Kishor Ghughuskar, said it could not be a case of suicide.
"He was behind several PILs which had rubbed some people the wrong way. Also, his mobile phone is untraceable. That is suspicious. And if at all it is indeed a case of suicide, then it is possible that, somebody may have pressured him."
The senior lawyer was among those who exposed the multi-crore Vidarbha irrigation scam and filed cases against irregularities in land allotments of the Nagpur Improvement Trust.
Police sources said Khandalkar was depressed and undergoing treatment and probably ended his life by jumping off the seven-story 'Nyay Mandir' -- the district court building.
The suicide note said he was suffering from a serious ailment which compelled him to take the drastic step. The police say he also had a criminal case registered against him a year ago, accusing him of extortion.
"We are looking at all angles. We are getting to those he talked to on the day, he met that day. We shall also use a dummy to get a feel. We are also searching the mobile phone," said senior police officer Ranjan Kumar Sharma.
Maharashtra has witnessed the murder of several rationalists and activists over the last few years -- including Govind Pansare in Kolhapur in February and Narendra Dabholkar in Pune in August 2013.