Express Investigation with Forbidden Stories | Accused in Maharashtra journalist’s murder linked to web of land deals

The project is being executed by Ratnagiri Refinery Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL), a company set up in 2017, and jointly owned by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation, BPCL Ltd and HPCL Ltd. Initially, the project was proposed in Nanar village in Ratnagiri district, but following opposition by locals and environment activists, the Maharashtra government wrote to the Centre in January 12, 2022, that it would identify 13,000 acres for acquisition in Barsu village in Rajapur city, for the project. But work stalled after large protests by locals early 2023 when the state government started survey work and soil testing in Barsu, forcing the administration to deploy a huge police force.

An investigation of land records of the past three years shows that the accused, Pandharinath Amberkar; his sister Pratiksha Khadpe; and his nephew (cousin’s son) Akshay Amberkar; are linked to more than 30 land transactions covering over 10.2 hectares and worth an estimated Rs 2.8 crore.

That’s not all, police records also reveal that RRPCL paid Rs 4.44 lakh to Pandharinath Amberkar in December 2022 in lieu of “logistics services.”

Amberkar family’s web of land transactions

Amberkar himself bought six land parcels, sold one, and held the Power of Attorney (PoA) for eight others, representing the buyer or the seller, records show. Total worth of these transactions: Rs 80.64 lakh

Of the six parcels he bought between September 2021 and June 2022, four totalling 1.07 hectares are in Barsu village, and two in Dhopeshwar village totalling 0.674 hectares. He paid Rs 47.29 lakh for these six land parcels and sold one.

In one transaction, he held the PoA for Pratiksha Khadpe, his sister, who purchased a 0.11 hectare land parcel on March 3, 2022, for Rs 50,000. Khadpe was also a corporator representing the Shiv Sena (when it was undivided) in Rajapur Municipal Council, and had voted in favour of the refinery when a resolution was moved in 2021. She purchased the plot in the name of her minor son and one Vaishnavi Amberkar.

Shashikant Warishe worked as the editor and correspondent of Dainik Mahanagari Times, a Marathi daily, in Ratnagiri.

When contacted, Pratiksha Khadpe said, “Since the case is still in the court we are not able to give you any comment.”

Akshay Amberkar, Pandharinath Amberkar’s nephew who worked closely with him, is also involved in 19 land transactions (8.41 hectares) between October 2021 and April 2023, valued at over Rs 2 crore.

In all these, he held the Power of Attorney for either the seller or the buyer of land.

In five of the 19 deals, he held the PoA for Kiran Achrekar, who retired from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation as Deputy Municipal Commissioner, and purchased 5.195 hectares cumulatively in Nate, Panhale Rajapur and Solgaon, villages for Rs 1.72 crore.

Kiran Achrekar and Akshay Amberkar did not respond to repeated queries and calls by The Indian Express.

Supporter of refinery, Amberkar provided travel services to RRPCL

Amberkar is in Ratnagiri Central Jail and the lower court has denied him bail. In the application, Amberkar claimed the collision was a “pure accident” and blamed his automatic car, which had “gone out of his control as he jumbled between the accelerator and (the) brake.” He has filed for bail in the Bombay High Court, which is yet to be heard.

A supporter of the refinery project, Pandharinath Amberkar also provided logistics services to RRPCL, according to the 1,190-page chargesheet filed in May 2023 by the Special Investigation Team led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Ratnagiri. Sai Krupa Travels, of which Amberkar is the proprietor, was paid Rs 4.44 lakh by RRPCL in December 2022, the chargesheet says.

RRPCL PRO Anil Nagvekar did not respond to a detailed set of questions from The Indian Express.

In his statement to the police on February 24, 2023, Nagvekar had said he got acquainted with Pandharinath during a tour organised by RRPCL to the Panipat refinery project for 24-25 villagers and journalists. “After that, around December 2021, MIDC officers and officers of other companies came 3-4 times to Barsu, Solgaon and Nate villages for survey. At that time, a contact was established with Pandharinath Amberkar to rent his car. He has provided his Duster/Safari vehicles at times as per the demands of company officials. Apart from this, Pandharinath Amberkar has no relation with RRPCL company or officers,” Nagvekar told the police.

In its chargesheet, the Ratnagiri police said, “The accused Pandharinath Amberkar was working as a supporter of the planned refinery project in and around Barsu village… Amberkar had invested and purchased land parcels in the refinery project area in his own name and that of his relatives.”

Pandharinath Amberkar’s lawyers, advocate-on-record Sachin Bandkar and counsel Anil Singh and Ashish Chavan said they cannot comment since the matter was sub judice.

Running over Warishe, not the first criminal act by Amberkar

Warishe’s killing is not the only allegation against Amberkar in relation to the refinery project. At least four other criminal cases were registered against him for assaulting and intimidating protesters of the refinery.

In 2020, Amberkar had tried to allegedly run over 21-year-old local resident and activist Manoj Mayekar. In that incident Manoj, son of Kumbhavade village Sarpanch Pandharinath Mayekar was injured and hospitalised for two weeks in a Kolhapur hospital.

When Amberkar was being searched, the police found a pen drive with several articles written by Warishe. They also found a phone recording in which Amberkar explicitly states in Marathi that he will finish off Warishe for publishing a news article against him. The accused had threatened Warishe earlier too for writing against him and the proposed petrochemicals refinery in Barsu-Solgaon.

Just two hours before allegedly mowing down Warishe, Amberkar was heard telling a witness on the phone: “Ekacha kaam tamaam karayacha aahe (I have to finish off someone). Aaj karnar tyacha… Aaj aamhi… (I will do it today).” This call recording was found in Amberkar’s phone after a mirror image of the phone was taken, said police, and it corroborated his intention to harm the victim.

Warishe worked as the editor and correspondent of Dainik Mahanagari Times, a Marathi daily, in Ratnagiri, and regularly wrote “how the planned refinery project in Rajapur taluka (RRPCL) would harm the farmers”. On February 6, 2023, when Amberkar allegedly ran him over, Warishe had published a report highlighting the “criminal” acts of Amberkar and pictures of banners showing him with senior politicians.

“Since Warishe was giving news against him, Amberkar had threatened him several times,” the police said in the chargesheet.

MIDC says no formal RRPCL proposal for land acquisition yet

Responding to queries on the status of the RRPCL’s land acquisition plan, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, the nodal investment promotion agency under the state government, said, “RRPCL has conducted the techno-feasibility survey from August 2022-May 2023. This survey was facilitated by MIDC and District Administration, Ratnagiri, wherein 46 written consents were obtained from concerned landowners. However, MIDC has not received the report from RRPCL, till date. RRPCL has not yet submitted a formal proposal for the land acquisition.”

Warishe’s mother, son, wait for justice

At a tiny house in the remote Kasheli village in Rajapur, Shevanti Warishe, mother of Shashikant, said, “We want justice for my son. His killer should not get out of the jail at any cost. He should be punished severely. My son lost his life because of him. He should also face the same fate.”

The state government deposited Rs 25 lakh in the joint account of Shevanti and Shashikant Warishe’s son Yash, as a fixed deposit, on which they receive an interest of Rs 14,000 a month.

Having lost her son, Shevanti said, “My son died because of this refinery. We do not want this refinery here. My son should get justice.”

She added: “He would leave house in the morning and would come home at night. He was only dedicated to his work. I would worry about him and tell him to come home as soon as possible at night. But he would always assure me I do not need to worry and he will be fine. He would say he is working for the good of people and no one will harm him.”