Hang the killer, probe case afresh: Kin

Kolhapur / Mumbai: A day after a Panvel Court verdict giving the life-sentence to an ex-cop for brutally killing his lover and a police-woman Ashwini Bidre-Gore, her kin has demanded the hangman’s noose for him, here on Tuesday.

Simultaneously, the Gore and Bidre family will seek to reopen the sensational case for a fresh probe into the case to establish the role of the errant police officials who allegedly carried out a shoddy investigation nine years ago when Ashwini was murdered, her body chopped into pieces, stuffed into bags and a sack, and then thrown into the Thane Creek near Vasai.

The victim’s husband Raju Gore and his daughter Siddhi, 16 as well members of the Gore and Bidre family are unanimous that the convict – Abhay Kurundkar should be given the capital punishment for the gory crime, without any future privileges like parole, furloughs, etc.

“We are satisfied by the justice done to Ashwini, but feel let down by the life sentence to Kurundkar for the heinous crime he and others committed. The entire town and district of Kolhapur also feel likewise. If the government does not allow an appeal, then we shall file an independent petition in the Bombay High Court,” a determined Raju Gore told ‘The Perfect Voice’.

He lauded the role of the (then) Deputy Superintendent of Police Sangeet Shinde-Alphonso for carrying out the meticulous probe involving tech-intel, witnesses and other evidence since “the body was never traced”, but claimed that now the officer has been ‘sidelined’.

The Special Public Prosecutor Pradip D. Gharat has already said that the prosecution would file an appeal for the death sentence to Kurundkar, plus enhanced punishment for his two accomplices Kundan Bhandari and Mahesh Falnikar (who got 7 years in jail each).

Simultaneously, the defense lawyer Vishal Bhanushali told ‘The Perfect Voice’ that they plan to challenge the verdict in the high court on various grounds, after studying the judgement delivered by Panvel Court Sessions Judge K. G. Paldewar.

“We adhered to the full legal procedures, highest standards of fairness and due process although there was formidable evidence against his client Kurundkar in the high-profile case,” said Bhanushali.

How a murder suspect was named for a national honour?

The victim’s husband Raju Gore, a farmer, said that though the convict Kurundkar was already under a cloud for months before his arrest, “how did the state government and police department initiate the process to recommend him for the President’s Gallantry Medal for 2017”.

“The entire procedures, all the officials, both police and civilian must be investigated, what compulsions prompted them to push (the convict’s) name, the related circumstances, etc.,” demanded Gore, the 9-year-old matter.

Kurundkar, then a Senior Police Inspector with Thane Rural Police was nominated for the top award in Jan. 2017, but was later arrested and the honour revoked.

In the verdict, the Court also expressed its ire over the developments, which now the Gore-Bidre families want to be investigated and all the culprits booked under criminal charges.

Ashwini’s killing shattered the two families. Her mother Nirmala went into shock and died three years ago, her brother Anand settled abroad has returned to India to look after his father Jaikumar.

Gore’s daughter, 16, has appeared for her SSC exams and has set her eyes to first pursue a degree in medicine and later crack the UPSC.