Police on Wednesday slapped the murder charge against a man arrested for allegedly mowing down a journalist with his car in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, an official said.
Several media organisations had demanded a probe into the death of journalist Shashikant Warishe, claiming he had written against local land dealer Pandharinath Amberkar, who is said to be a supporter of the proposed Ratnagiri refinery project.
The organisations claimed Amberkar crushed the scribe's bike under his car at a petrol pump in Ratnagiri district on Monday. Warishe succumbed to the injuries at a Kolhapur hospital on Tuesday.
The accused (42) was arrested under section 304 (Culpable Homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police have added section 302 (Punishment for murder) in the FIR against Amberkar, the official said. He was remanded in police custody in Rajapur till February 13.
Police are investigating the exact motive behind the murder.
Earlier, Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Patrakar Parishad members had met Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a probe into Mr Warishe's death.
The Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical project, earlier proposed to be built at Nanar village in Ratnagiri district in coastal Konkan, was scrapped before the 2019 polls at the insistence of Shiv Sena, the then alliance partner of BJP.
A Union minister had last year said establishing a 60-million metric tonne per annum oil refinery will be the biggest plant in the world and hinted at its revival.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
104 Journalists Killed In 2024, Over Half In Gaza: International Federation Of Journalists Mumbai Press Club's Response After Rahul Gandhi Calls Journalists "Slaves" Journalist Stabbed To Death In UP's Fatehpur, His BJP Leader Friend Injured "Intention To Dupe UPSC": Ex-IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar Denied Pre-Arrest Bail Send Sheikh Hasina Back To Dhaka, Bangladesh Writes To India Kolkata Man Gets Divorce As "Imposition Of Wife's Friend" Is Deemed Cruelty US CEO's Alleged Killer Luigi Mangione Faces Terrorism Charges Over 100 XL Bully Dogs Killed Per Month Since Ban In England And Wales: Report Different Taxes For Salted And Caramel Popcorn Sparks Meme Fest Online Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.