Adivasi party seeks impartial probe into suspicious death of Spandana Microfinance branch manager in Wardha

A memorandum seeking a deep and impartial investigation into the suspicious death of Kalidas Pundlik Jambhule was submitted to the Wardha Superintendent of Police and the District Collector on October 6, 2026. The delegation was led by Mangesh Sarate, Maharashtra state president of the Rashtriya Bharat Adivasi Party. The memorandum asks that the possibility of murder or foul play also be examined and that action be taken under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act wherever it applies.

Jambhule was a branch manager with Spandana Microfinance. According to the memorandum, an incident involving him came to light on September 7, 2026, and his body was found on September 9, 2026. The circumstances of the death are suspicious, it says, and an impartial probe from every angle is necessary.

The memorandum says the initial circumstances themselves raise doubts about the real cause and manner of death. It argues that no conclusion should be drawn on first impressions alone about whether it was suicide or something else. The cause of death, it says, should be determined only on the basis of the post-mortem report, the inquest panchnama, the scene-of-crime panchnama, doctors' opinions, available photographs and other scientific evidence.

The memorandum lists specific points for investigation. It seeks an examination of the deceased's movements, contacts and the sequence of events between 6:45 am and 11 am on September 7, 2026. It asks that the amounts and incidents stated in the report that HR or the company gave the police be checked against the original documents. It also asks for scrutiny of the role of the HR officer concerned, senior officials and employees of the company, and their relationship with the deceased.

The memorandum also asks on whose information the HR or company officials went to the deceased's home, who told them to go, who accompanied them and who was present in the house at the time. It seeks a thorough examination of bank accounts, locker or lock-opening entries, CCTV footage, and the presence and permission of the officials concerned. If a locker or lock was opened some days after the death, it asks that the legality of the entire process and the people present then be investigated.

It further seeks a check of call records, available CCTV footage, mobile locations and electronic evidence between September 7 and 9, 2026. People who were in touch with the deceased before and after the death should be questioned and their statements recorded, it says. All evidence at the scene should be preserved and sent for scientific examination.

A separate demand concerns the SC/ST Act. The deceased belonged to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, so the applicable provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 should be considered, the memorandum says. It asks that it be examined separately whether the accused or suspects knew of his tribal identity and whether the offence was linked to it. According to the memorandum, Section 3(2)(v) of the Act can apply to a serious offence against an SC/ST person in certain circumstances, but the essential ingredients of the law must be established in the investigation. The rules also provide that where an offence under the Act applies, the investigating officer must not be below the rank of DySP.

The final demand is that no one be held guilty merely on suspicion and that the truth be brought out on the basis of evidence.

Those present when the memorandum was submitted included Kishor Pawar, former Lok Sabha candidate and state president of the party's Pardhi cell; Raju Kannake, Vidarbha convener; Ajit Irpate, Vidarbha chief convener; advocate Mangesh Chayre; social worker Mohit Khandar; and Karma Bhosale. Members of the bereaved family, Pundlik Jambhule and Dnyaneshwar Jambhule, came along with a large number of people from the community.