Govt to explore possibilities of parallel probe in Koregaon-Bhima violence

Mumbai: The Elgar Parishad held at Pune on December 31, 2017 and the violence that followed afterwards on January 1, 2018 at Koregaon-Bhima, seems to haunt the state government for years to come. After the investigations into the violence were handed over to National Investigation Agency (NIA), the ruling alliance in Maharashtra, especially NCP chief Sharad Pawar, got jittery. The later did not mince any word to express his anger over the step taken by the central government. 

Ever since the NIA came in picture, the state government had been trying to somehow keep the doors open for intervention in the matter. After trying to keep the issue burning, the governing alliance on Thursday announced that it would explore possibilities of conducting a parallel probe in the matter. 

Congress MLC, Sharad Ranpise in the Legislative Council demanded constitution of Commission to inquiry into Bhima-Koregaon violence under the chairmanship of a retired justice. Ranpise raised the demand through starred question for inquiry and withdrawal of cases filed against the agitators. 

Also Read: Pawar trying to implicate ‘Hindutvawadis’ in Bhima Koregaon case: Devendra Fadnavis

Replying to supplementary queries, Minister for Home, Anil Deshmukh said, “The state government is exploring possibilities of conducting parallel investigations to determine if there were any loopholes in the investigations into Bhima-Koregaon violence and Elgar Parishad.

Deshmukh said that several delegations have met the government and complained that innocent people who spoke against the previous government, were vindictively implicated in various cases. “The state government did not have option but to handover the investigations to NIA.

However, the state government is mulling idea to conduct investigations to determine if innocent people were falsely implicated,” Deshmukh said. However, he denied having any information if the Koregaon-Bhima Inquiry Commission has summoned Sharad Pawar to depose before it. 

Deshmukh reiterated that state will provide all protection to Dalit community. While, 348 out 649 cases in Koregaon-Bhima violence have been withdrawn and the process is on to withdraw the remaining.