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Proposal for chargesheet against Milind Ekbote, Sambhaji Bhide submitted by rural police
Home minister made the statement on January 1, three years since the riots broke out in Bhima Koregaon.
PUNE The Pune rural police have put forward a proposal for a chargesheet in cases lodged by the Pune rural police against Samasta Aghadi president Hindu Mahasangh Milind Ekbote and Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide, according to Anil Deshmukh, home minister of Maharashtra.
When asked about cases against Milind and Bhide, Deshmukh said, “We have recently received a proposal for a chargesheet in this matter. We will take due action at the earliest possible time.”
However, of the multiple cases that Ekbote and Bhide are booked in, he did not clarify which one was awaiting sanction for prosecution from the government.
In one case, Ekbote was booked with at least 38 others for rioting, public property damage, and criminal conspiracy.
In another case, Bhide was also booked along with Ekbote for attempted murder, and inciting communal violence.
There is no clarity on which case the proposal for prosecution was sent in, from either the home minister or the police.
“When it comes to some of the sections of IPC, a proposal for prosecution has to be sent to the government. In our case, a proposal for prosecution has been sent two months ago. I’m assuming that is what the home minister was referring to, even though I cannot be sure. However, the proposal sent by us is against Ekbote and others, and not Sambhaji Bhide,” said Abhinav Deshmukh, superintendent of Pune Rural Police.
There are 36 cases registered by the Pune rural police after riots broke out in Bhima Koregaon in 2018, according to another senior official of Pune rural police.
Of these cases, chargsheets have been filed in 16 of them, while summary reports of logical conclusions have been filed in at least 18 others.
The cases against Ekbote and Bhide, however, remain open.
“At this point, we cannot reveal many details about which case the proposal has been sent in. Whatever the home minister said is all we can reveal,” said deputy SP Rahul Dhas of Daund division of Pune rural police.
The statement by the home minister was made on January 1, exactly three years since the riots broke out in Bhima Koregaon.
