VIVEK Palatkar, who killed five persons of Pawankar and Palatkar families, including his own son and sister in Nandanvan area, in June, 2018; was held guilty by District and Additional Session Judge R S Pawaskar on Saturday. The quantum of punishment including imposition of death penalty will be decided on April 11. The prosecution will address the court why this case falls into the rarest of rare category and to present the aggravating circumstances justifying the death penalty. While in all fairness and opportunity given to the defence to present the mitigating circumstances and praying for lesser penalty.

 

Vivek Gulab Paltankar (35), a resident of Navargaon village in Mauda tehsil was arrested by the police from Ludhiana, Punjab after almost 15 days of the brutal killing. Palatkar had massacred BJP activist and his brother-in-law Kamlakar Motiram Pawankar (52), Kamlakar’s mother Meerabai (72), his own sister Archana (45), her daughter Vedanti (15) and his own son Krishna Vivek Palatkar (4), in Kamlakar’s house at Plot No 26, Aaradhana Nagar on June 11, 2018. The case was investigated by the then Police Inspector of Nandanvan police station Mukund Salunke while APP Abhay Jikar represented the state in the court. It may be mentioned here that Palatkar had come to Pawankar’s house for an overnight halt. Kamlakar, Archana, Vedanti and Krishna were sleeping in the bedroom while Vivek was sleeping in the living room. Kamlakar’s daughter Mitali (5) and Vivek’s daughter Vaishnavi were also sleeping in the living room with Mirabai. He committed the crime between 1 am and 3 am.

 

He entered the bedroom when the victims were in deep slumber. He attacked them with sharp and heavy objects. Their heads were smashed three to four times. After hearing screams from the bedroom, Mirabai went to the bedroom to see what was happening. As Mirabai attempted to raise an alarm, Vivek hit her with a sharp object on her head. Her body was found lying near the refrigerator in the kitchen in a pool of blood. After committing the crime, the accused fled the spot by jumping the compound wall.