Bhima Koregaon violence: Two-member inquiry commission invites statements from affected individuals
The two-member commission is headed by Jainarayan Patel, retired chief justice of Calcutta and Sumit Mullick, former chief secretary of the Maharashtra government.
A two-member Bhima Koregaon inquiry commission published its terms of reference on Saturday. The commission will be taking into consideration statements and affidavits from individuals affected by the violence, which had erupted after some people pelted stones at cars heading towards the village for the commemoration of 200 years of Bhima Koregaon war, on January 1, 2018.
Seeking inputs from the affected people, the commission will accept statements from individuals, groups, non-governmental organisations and political parties. The statements need to be submitted in the next 30 days to VV Palnitkar, registrar, Bhima Koregaon commission of inquiry or mailed to the commission's office at Madam Cama road, Nariman Point, Mumbai or Council hall, Pune.
The two-member commission is headed by Jainarayan Patel, retired chief justice of Calcutta and Sumit Mullick, former chief secretary of the Maharashtra government.
The commission inquiring whether an organisation, person or group of people were responsible for the incident and will also conclude whether the Pune district administration and police were prepared to contain a law and order situation. The police action taken after the violence broke out will also be under the commission's radar.
The inquiry commission will have six points of reference, including putting the onus of the incident and finding the causes and consequences of the violence.
Multiple cases were filed in the aftermath of the violence. Milind Ekbote, leader, Samasta Hindu Aghadi, was arrested after being granted interim anticipatory bail by the apex court more than twice. He was in police custody for around a week and a half, before he was sent to judicial custody on March 21. Ekbote, along with Sambhaji Bhide, president of Shiv Pratishthan, were booked for attempted murder at the Shikrapur police station.
Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra, had taken it upon himself to declare Bhide free of blame in the state legislative assembly in the month of March.
A case against Jignesh Mewani, Gujarat MLA and Umar Khalid, Jawaharlal Nehru University PhD scholar, was also registered at the Vishrambaug police station for their speech at a public gathering called Elgaar Parishad at Shaniwarwada in Pune, a day before the Bhima Koregaon battle's 200th anniversary.
The offices and homes of various activists affiliated to the Kabir Kala Manch, Republican Panther and prominent advocates were raided by the Pune police on April 17. The raids were carried out by several teams of the Pune police in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.
