Oil mafia burns Malegaon Additional DC alive

Malegaon: Additional District Collector of Malegaon, Yashwant Sonawane, has been burnt alive by people involved in black marketing of petrol and diesel. The tragic incident took place about 10 kms from Malegaon in Maharashtra's Nashik district on Tuesday afternoon.
Sonawane was going to Nandgaon for a tehsildar meeting when he spotted a few trucks parked in a very suspicious manner near a road side eatery where the depots of IOC, HPCL and BPCL are located. The area is infamous for smuggling and adulteration of petrol, diesel and kerosene.
Sonawane got off the car and started investigating about the trucks when a man identified as Popat Shinde, who has a reputation of running an oil, petrol and diesel smuggling racket, along with his men attacked the officer.
He was reportedly beaten up by Shinde and his men and then set on fire. The attackers fled after the incident. Police have launched a massive manhunt to track and arrest the attackers.
Sonawane was known to be a sincere and upright officer. He was accompanied by his personal assistant and another staff member and had no police cover.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has ordered an inquiry and has said that strictest possible action would be taken against the offenders.
Maharashtra Public Works Department Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said that one person has been arrested for burning Sonawane alive.
"We are shocked. At present one person has been arrested. We will catch all the culprits," said Bhujbal.
He had received some information about oil adulteration a week ago from his sources.