Dinu Solanki

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Dinubhai "Dinu" Boghabhai Solanki (b. 1958),[1] is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician from Junagadh, Gujarat, India. He came under media gaze after the RTI crusader Amit Jethwa was murdered; his nephew Shiva Solanki has been arrested as the prime suspect in the murder.

Solanki won the Gujarat Legislative assembly seat from Kodinar in 2002 with a margin of 2000 votes,[2] and in 2009 was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha after defeating his Indian National Congress rival Barad Jashubhai Dhanabhai by a margin of 1.8%.[3] He had declared assets of nearly Rs. 2 crores in 2009[4] He has a history of criminal charges and has complaints registered against him under Sections 323, 324, 325, 143, 147, 148, 149 and 504 of the IPC [5] He also has a history of intimidating police officers investigating his criminal connections.[6]

He is said to be a close colleague of the BJP minister Amit Shah.[7]

Allegations in Amit Jethwa murder

Since 2008, activist Amit Jethwa had filed six requests under the Right to Information Act, probing the activities of an illegal mining lobby operating in the Gir Forest National Park area.[8] At the time, Jethwa was badly beaten up by goons, allegedly from Solanki's party.[9]

In mid 2010, Solanki and a number of his relatives[10] were named by Jethwa in for illegal mining in a Public interest litigation case filed with the Gujarat High Court.[11] Jethwa's family has claimed that Solanki had personally threatened Jethwa of dire consequences for pursuiing this action, on several occasions in front of many people.[12]

Shortly after the filing of this PIL, on July 20, Jethwa was shot dead at close range by two assailants on a motorbike. Solanki was named by the family as having a hand in the murder, and Jethwa's father alleged that he had personally received threatening phone calls from Solanki.[12]

After the murder, Solanki went underground, and could not be traced by the investigating team. However, he has brought out advertisements in three Gujarati dailies, claiming he had "no enmity with Amit Jethava."[7]

[13] [14]

Nephew Shiva Solanki arrested

During investigations, the police arrested constable Bahadursinh Wadher and then Pachan Silva, who was allegedly one of the hired killers. Later, on 6 September 2010, they arrested Shiva Solanki, nephew of Dinu Solanki, as the main accused in the case. According to police sources, Shiva had asked constable Bahadursinh to get Amit Jethawa eliminated. "Bahadur then planned the crime and executed it with the help of sharpshooters Shailesh Pandya and Pachan Shiva."[15]

Shiva Solanki alias Pratap, 40, is also a BJP politician, president of kodinar nagar palika.[16] He is perceived as the right-hand man of his uncle, whose two sons don't live in Gujarat. Shiva and Dinu allegedly have a number of illegal mining businesses that were affected by Amit Jethwa’s public interest litigations.[17] In 2003, three high-ranking police officers had sent letters to the home ministry,[6] on rampant illegal activity in Junagadh by Shiva, with protection from his MP uncle. The ministry, then headed by Amit Shah (currently imprisoned for murder), did not heed these letters.

References

  1. ↑ based on age of 51 in 2010
  2. ↑ http://www.rediff.com/election/gjconst02.htm
  3. ↑ "Making democracy meaningful, Know our Representative & Candidate". Empowering India. Retrieved 2013-05-09. 
  4. ↑ "Making democracy meaningful, Know our Representative & Candidate". Empowering India. Retrieved 2013-05-09. 
  5. ↑ http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/your-cong-candidate-from-manavadar-is-worth-rs-8-cr/243161/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Jethava case probe reopens old files on Solankis". Times of India. 9 September 2010. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Jethava murder: ‘Missing’ MP says not guilty in ads". Indian Express. 2010-07-27. Retrieved 2013-05-09. 
  8. ↑ http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/rti-activist-killed-for-campaign-against-bjp-mp-says-family-38770
  9. ↑ "Murdered RTI activist's kin allege foul play : West, News - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2013-05-09. 
  10. ↑ "Amit Jethwa killing: Father accuses BJP leader". English.samaylive.com. 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2013-05-09. 
  11. ↑ Express News Service. "RTI activist shot dead near HC". Express India. Retrieved 2013-05-09. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "BJP MP behind murder: RTI activists' family". Hindustan Times. 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2013-05-09. 
  13. ↑ http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/gujarat-rti-activists-murder-sc-raps-cbi-for-arresting-bjp-mp.html
  14. ↑ http://puclmangalore.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/cbi-pulled-up-for-not-informing-sc-about-arresting-bjp-mp/
  15. ↑ Indian Express BJP MP Dinu Solanki's nephew held in murder of green activist
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ "Flamboyant Pratap Hamir Solanki was 'mining czar' of Kodinar - India - DNA". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 2013-05-09. 
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