After the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the Elgaar Parishad cases from the Maharashtra government, the Bhima-Koregaon Inquiry Commission on Monday admitted an application demanding the cross-examination of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis.
The application filed by Dr. Sanjay Lakhe Patil, an intervenor and president of Karmaveer Pratishtan, made several pleas including calling the former chief minister in as a witness who need to be cross-examined for his ‘misleading’ statements in the Assembly. The commission is likely to take a call on passing an order on the application during its next hearing on Wednesday.
In a statement made last year, Mr. Fadnavis did not blame the ‘urban naxals’ for the violence that followed the Elgaar Parishad. Rather, he confessed that the riots were instigated by Hindutva leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote, with the help of their supporters, the petition claims. The application also claims that the erstwhile BJP government in the State, while investigating and labelling thinkers, professors and lawyers as ‘urban naxals’, did not at all look into the role of the real culprits (Hindutva leaders).
“Therefore, I urge the commission to call for all records of phone, mobile records, police control room records, wireless records of the day of the incident in areas of Bhima-Koregaon, Vadu and Sanaswadi,” Mr. Patil said, accusing local police of escorting and giving safe passage to those who were involved in stone pelting and torching vehicles.
“The statements of the former chief minister tried covering and protecting the Hindutva leaders. The statement did not reflect on the fact the local police protected several bikers carrying saffron flags during the violence,” he said, claiming it was important to call Mr. Fadnavis since his statements contradict the investigation of the police.
The BJP leader had last week called the action of the NIA taking over ‘urban naxal’ cases as correct while accusing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of sabotaging the Pune Police’s investigations in the Elgaar Parishad and Bhima-Koregaon cases. “The Pune Police had worked very hard to expose urban naxals in this case. But some people with the intention of suppressing the police were trying to reopen the case,” he had said, referring to the government’s efforts to set up an SIT in the case.
The application accuses Mr. Fadnavis of shielding the accused under the guise of his privileges in the Assembly. The Bhima-Koregaon Commission was set up by the previous government under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1955.
