State appoints IPS officer Sandeep Karnik as head of SIT to probe Maratha agitation

Karnik, an IPS officer of the 1998 batch, has been given three months to complete the investigation. The probe will cover acts of violence, arson and stone-throwing during the Maratha agitation. It will also include rumours spread on social media. Karnik has also been given the right to have more experts on board

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Monday appointed the Nashik police commissioner, Sandeep Karnik, to head the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed to probe into the Martha violence which erupted during the Maratha quota agitation led by Manoj Jarange-Patil.

Nashik police commissioner, Sandeep Karnik.

The state home ministry announced the SIT following directives from Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar during the legislature in February on the demand of BJP MLAs after Jarange-Patil attacked deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Karnik, an IPS officer of the 1998 batch, has been given three months to complete the investigation. The probe will cover acts of violence, arson and stone-throwing during the Maratha agitation. It will also include rumours spread on social media. Karnik has also been given the right to have more experts on board.

Soon after the SIT was announced, Jarange-Patil said, he had nothing to fear. He had claimed that there was a conspiracy to implicate him. While directing the government to appoint the SIT, Narwekar had said that the issue of instigating protests and using derogatory speeches and remarks against constitutional posts would not be tolerated.

Earlier, Fadnavis said the police investigation had revealed who was encouraging Jarange-Patil and who was behind the violent incidents. The deputy CM had revealed about war rooms being opened in Sambhaji Nagar and Navi Mumbai for the agitation.

Jarange-Patil’s agitation came into focus after it turned violent and the police resorted to lathi charge on a crowd of his supporters at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district. Jarange-Patil’s fast forced the government to accept his demand that Marathas, who have Kunbi antecedents should be given the benefit of quota in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Kunbi, a peasant sub-caste of Maratha, gets reservations for government jobs and education in the OBC category.