The brutal assassination of Dr Narendra Dabholkar in Pune has been a big blow to the progressive social movement in Maharashtra. A medical practitioner turned activist, Dr Dabholkar was renowned for his more than two-decade-long crusade in the state against superstitions and his efforts to promote broader social reform. However, his untiring campaign, from 1995 onwards, for the enactment of an "anti-superstition/anti-black magic bill" in the state made him the object of hatred for obscurantist forces. This fanatical hatred and the increasing intolerance and aggressiveness of these fascist forces led to his murder on August 20, 2013.