My brother worked with Aamir Khan, his career got shattered: Acquitted Dhawade's kin
Nita said the bomb blast probe hampered the life of her brother, an expert in traditional arms and armoury, who had worked with actor Aamir Khan. 'His arrest shattered his career,' she said. Nita had provided legal help to Rakesh and other accused in this case.
Passionate about antique weapons, Rakesh Dhawade gained fame after he was associated as an arms consultant with the Aamir Khan movie Mangal Pandey: The Rising released in 2005.
But in November 2008, the Maharashtra ATS had arrested Dhawade for his alleged role in the Malegaon bomb blast that year. He was then booked and investigated for the Parbhani bomb blast of 2003, Jalna and Purna bomb blasts of 2004 and the Nanded blast case of 2006.
Different investigation agencies had claimed the involvement of Hindutva activists in these five bomb blast cases and alleged that Dhawade was the 'mastermind' behind it.
But, the courts initially acquitted Dhawade in the Jalna and Parbhani blasts cases. He was then discharged in the Purna blast case by the court. After having spent about ten years in jail, Dhawade was released in 2018 after being discharged in the Malegaon bomb blast 2008 case as well.
While in prison, he continued his research. With the court's permission, he wrote multiple books, comprising about 25,000 papers, 36,000 short notes and 8,000 drawings on different aspects of historical arms and armaments, in jail.
In February 2024, his booklet Shivakalin Shastrastre: Alpa Parichay (Introduction to Arms, Armaments during the era of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) was published by the Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Mandal, a prestigious organisation founded by Lokmanya Tilak in 1895.
While Rakesh was not available for comment on Thursday, his sister Nita said that in January this year, he was acquitted of all charges in the Nanded blast case of 2006. Dhawade has an Arms Act case pending against him in a Pune court. His lawyer Sangram Kolhatkar said they have faith in the law and are sure of getting justice in this case too.
Chandan Haygunde is an assistant editor with The Indian Express with 15 + years of experience in covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2007.
Chandan has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra.
While working on the 'Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation' in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He has done in-depth reporting on the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and hearings of the 'Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry'. ... Read More
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