Four Pune rural police officials who were part of the investigation team probing the murder of RTI activist Satish Shetty have filed an application with the sessions court in Pune saying they want a narco analysis on them and show the procedure live on television channels.

At a press conference on Wednesday, retired inspector Bhausaheb Andhalkar, who was the then in-charge of local crime branch of Pune rural police, said he along with assistant police inspector Namdev Kauthale, head constable Ramesh Nale and another constable who is now retired, filed their application on November 6.

Andhalkar claimed that Sandip Shetty, the brother of Satish and complainant in the murder case, had suspected the involvement of Ideal Road Builders (IRB) Infrastructure Developers Company and another firm Sable Waghire. “The then police superintendent (Pratap Dighavkar) had given written instruction to deputy superintendent Dilip Shinde and inspector Balraj Lanjile of Lonavla police station to probe the role of IRB and Sable Waghire. LCB (local crime branch) was not given the powers to probe the role of IRB and Sable Waghire. We did nothing to favour IRB. We arrested advocate Vijay Dabhade and others based on his history of dispute with Shetty and other facts. The suspects were arrested as per the guidance of our senior officers,” said Andhalkar. When contacted, Dighavkar refused to comment, saying he was busy.

A resident of Kala Niwas, Panchvati Colony in Talegaon Dabhade, Satish Shetty was stabbed to death on January 13, 2010, at Talegaon Dabhade when he was out on a morning walk. A couple of months before his murder, Shetty had filed an application with the Pune rural police seeking protection. In his application dated November 24, 2009, Satish had said he was getting threats after he exposed the alleged land scam at Kamshet involving IRB and Sable Waghire.

The Pune rural police had arrested six persons in the murder case, including advocate Dabhade from Talegaon, his clerk Pramod Waghmode, Navnath Shelar of Bhosari, Parshuram Telgu alias Jakkal, Dongrya Hanumant Rathod and Shyam Dabhade. Telgu was later discharged and a chargesheet was filed against the remaining five.

However, claiming that IRB links to the case were not being probed, Sandip filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court in March 2010. Sandip submitted before the court that the Pune rural police failed to pursue those named by Shetty in his application for protection.

In September 2010, the CBI took over investigation into the case. On November 2 this year, it conducted searches at four locations, including the Erandwane office of a subsidiary of IRB, in connection with the Shetty murder case.