‘How did Centre learn about state govt meet on SIT for Elgar Parishad case?’ | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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‘How did Centre learn about state govt meet on SIT for Elgar Parishad case?’

By, Mumbai
Feb 19, 2020 01:00 AM IST

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday questioned the role of Pune Police in the December 2017 Elgar Parishad case, alleging they were under pressure from the former Bharatiya Janata Party-led government. He also sought to know how the details of the state government’s meeting on formation of a special investigation team (SIT) reached the Centre.

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In January, soon after the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress was formed, Pawar had demanded the setting up of SIT under a retired high court judge, terming the arrest of activists for the violence that broke out at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune in January 2018 “wrong” and “vengeful”. He had also written to the CM, calling for the setting up of an SIT. On January 25, the Centre issued a notification that the probe in the case was being handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), hours after deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and home minister Anil Deshmukh held a meeting with the police and home department officers on the formation of the SIT. Last week, CM Uddhav Thackeray agreed to hand over the probe to the Centre, a move criticised by the NCP. The NCP on Monday said the Maharashtra government will form an SIT to conduct a parallel probe into the case.

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“I used to be proud of the Maharashtra Police as I handled the home department for almost 15-20 years. The way power was misused by the police is worrying. The role of Pune Police and a few senior police officials in the Elgar Parishad case is in question. They have booked those who were not present at that parishad. It appears that they were under pressure from the erstwhile BJP-led government,” Pawar said.

The state government, Pawar said, needs to take this seriously, hinting that someone who attended the meeting leaked the details to the Centre.

“Ajit Pawar and Anil Deshmukh won’t inform the Union home ministry, then who informed them,” he asked, speaking to reporters at YB Chavan Centre, Nariman Point.

“The esteem of the state police has been hit,” said the veteran leader, who again reiterated the need for an SIT in the case. “The Supreme Court, too, has observed that an independent probe is needed in the Elgar Parishad case. I am also demanding the same thing. Section 10 of the NIA Act empowers the state government to conduct a parallel probe. If the state government wants to take legal opinion before forming the SIT, there is nothing wrong in it,” he added, while reading out the apex court’s observation.

Pawar said that an SIT comprising retired high court judge, retired bureaucrats and police officials will bring the injustice against activists to the fore and expose the people behind it.

Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat backed Pawar and said the Central government’s decision raised serious concerns. “The Elgar Parishad was organised by people believing in secular and progressive values. They were believers of Ambedkarite ideology. Intellectuals, liberals and poets had participated in the conference. The Central government’s attempt to link them to Maoists is a serious bid to suppress dissident voices. The timing of handing over the case to the NIA for probe makes it even more suspicious.”

Reacting to the allegations, the state BJP unit said their government had never exerted any pressure on any official and they had no objection if the state formed a SIT.

Party spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, “Our government did not put pressure on any official, but now Pawar, by reiterating such statements, is clearing exerting pressure on police to redirect investigations in a certain direction. They have decided who is guilty and who is not and they want the probe to go in that direction. Why is the NCP afraid of the NIA probe? We have no objection if an SIT is formed. In fact, I demand an open judicial probe so people know the truth.’’

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Faisal is with the political team and covers state administration and state politics. He also covers NCP.

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