Mumbai: MANS Holds ‘Fearless Morning Walk’ On Narendra Dabholkar’s 13th Death Anniversary

Mumbai, August 20, 2026: In a 'Fearless Morning Walk' organised by the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) and other groups, activists commemorated the 13th death anniversary of Dr Narendra Dabholkar, the founder of MANS and a prominent social reformer. The walk spanned across Maharashtra, with the Mumbai district unit leading the charge, demanding the identification, arrest, and prosecution of those responsible for the deaths of Dabholkar, Communist leader Govind Pansare, scholar Dr M M Kalburgi, and journalist Gauri Lankesh.

Dabholkar, instrumental in drafting Maharashtra’s anti-superstition legislation, was assassinated while on his morning walk in Pune on August 20, 2013.

Activists took to the streets to protest the Bombay High Court’s decision to grant bail to Sachin Andure, convicted in Dabholkar’s murder. The court deemed the evidence against Andure as "extremely weak" and allowed for his potential acquittal on appeal. At a gathering in Ghatkopar, MANS Mumbai district working president Yash Suryawanshi recounted the murder investigation, questioning the government's failure to identify and arrest the alleged masterminds.

He urged MANS to maintain its questioning of the government and constitutional rights until justice is served.

The walk commenced at Bhatwadi Ganesh Temple, passing through the Waghdawala jogging track and LBS Road. An exhibition of posters was organized, and protesters chanted slogans such as "Phule-Shahu-Ambedkar" and "We are all Dabholkar." Trupti Patil, a lawyer and MANS activist, emphasized the walks' purpose: to reinforce the message that "killing a person cannot kill an idea."