Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The family of 24-year-old Kalpesh Rupekar, murdered near Kranti Chowk police station, ended their indefinite hunger strike on Friday after police assured a transparent investigation and action based on evidence. The family had demanded the inclusion of a local political leader as an accused in the case, alleging his involvement.
On February 2, around 3 am, four men attacked and killed Kalpesh. Kranti Chowk police arrested Vaibhav Malode (29, Samarth Nagar), Vaibhav Giri (25, Devgiri Colony), Prem Tingote (24, Padegaon), and Saurabh Bhole (24, Padegaon). However, the Rupekar family accused local politician Marathe of orchestrating the murder over a financial dispute and claimed he was being shielded from the investigation.
To press their demand for Marathe’s arrest, the family staged a protest outside the Police Commissioner’s office, vowing not to back down until action was taken.
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Police step in, probe intensifies
Deputy Commissioner of Police Prashant Swami and Police Inspector Avinash Aghav met the family, assuring them that the case would be reviewed thoroughly and that no one would be spared if the evidence pointed to their involvement. Police Commissioner Pravin Pawar appointed an Assistant Commissioner to oversee the investigation, reinforcing the commitment to a fair inquiry.
Following this assurance, the family called off the hunger strike at 3 pm.
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Community Stands in Solidarity
Several individuals, including activists, lawyers, and local leaders, joined the protest in support of the Rupekar family. Among them were Raju Sable, Advocate Avinash Thitte, Suresh Shingare, Sunil Kotkar, Sunil Kharat, Ranjit Manore, Arshad Lakhpati, Prakash Ghorpade, Sudhakar Sable, Rajkumar Amolik, Ravi Bansode, Hannu Nana, Anis Gangapurkar, Vijay Sadavarte, Vishal Gade, and Vilas Salve. With growing pressure and police assurances, all eyes are now on whether the investigation will bring justice to Kalpesh Rupekar.