Sharad Pawar bats for Elgar Parishad case accused, demands suspension of Pune police chief
According to Pune police, the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, was supported by Maoists and inflammatory speeches made at the event led to caste violence at Koregaon-Bhima war memorial
Nearly two years after the Pune police conducted investigations into the Bhima Koregaon violence and named several activists and lawyers as the prime accused, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, on Saturday, sought a fresh probe into the case.
Terming the arrest of activists in the Elgar Parishad case “wrong” and “vengeful”, Pawar on Saturday demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by the Pune police. Pawar also demanded that the police officers involved with the arrests be suspended.
Speaking at a press conference in Pune, Pawar said, “The arrest of the activists is infringement and calls for the suspension of Pune police chief K Venkatesham and other officers involved in the probe. We will be asking the Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to form an SIT to investigate Elgaar Parishad case properly. The police have misused their powers while imposing the Sedition Act.”
The Pune Police in July and August 2018 had arrested nine left-wing activists - Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao in connection with the Elgar conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017.
“It is wrong to imprison the activists on the charge of sedition. Voicing extreme views is allowed in a democracy. The action of the Pune police is wrong and vengeful. It is a misuse of power by the police commissioner and some of the officers. They had attacked the basic freedom of people and one cannot be a mute spectator to all this,” Sharad Pawar said.
According to Pune police, the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, was supported by Maoists and inflammatory speeches made at the event led to caste violence at Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district the next day.
“The arrests are highly inappropriate. The activists having mere literature on Maoists ideology does not mean they were involved in such activities,” added Pawar.
Maharashtra should also refuse to implement CAA
Pawar expressed apprehension regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Registration of Citizens (NRC).
“Eight states, including Bihar, which is ruled by an NDA ally, have refused to implement the law and Maharashtra should also take a similar stand. But if the states oppose the Union government’s order, there is a likelihood that it may dismiss these state governments,” said Pawar.
Besides Bihar, states of Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal and Rajasthan had opposed the CAA implementation.
Pawar also alleged that the Centre was misusing its power and avoiding a dialogue with the stake-holders even as anti-CAA protests are raging across the country. “CAA and NRC are ploys to divert people’s attention from serious issues being faced by the country,” he said.
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