Gauri Lankesh Murder Accused Shrikant Pangarkar Celebrates Victory

January 16, 2026

Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, won the Jalna Municipal Corporation election.

Mumbai : Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, won the Jalna Municipal Corporation election as an independent candidate, celebrating his victory with supporters soon after the outcome was declared. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena did not field a candidate in the ward, turning the contest into a multi-cornered fight among independents and candidates from rival parties.

Visuals of Pangarkar celebrating with supporters circulated soon after the results, sparking debate over the presence of accused persons in electoral politics. The Jalna Municipal Corporation elections were held on January 15. Gauri Lankesh, a journalist and activist, was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on September 5, 2017. The murder had triggered nationwide outrage and a broader debate on freedom of expression, dissent and political intolerance in the country.

Pangarkar has previously served as a corporator in the Jalna municipal council from the undivided Shiv Sena between 2001 and 2006. After being denied a ticket in 2011, he joined the right-wing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti. In August 2018, he was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad following the seizure of crude bombs and weapons from different parts of the state. At the time, he was booked under the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her Bengaluru residence on September 5, 2017. The murder had triggered national headlines and intense debate over liberalism, secularism, and communalism in India.

Pangarkar had previously been a member of the Jalna municipal council from the undivided Shiv Sena between 2001 and 2006. After the party denied him a ticket in 2011, he joined the right-wing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti. In August 2018, Pangarkar was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with the seizure of crude bombs and weapons from across the state.