Dhule riots panel chief resigns, cites humiliation

“Malte called all the lawyers associated with the commission after ending the days work and told them that he had made up his mind to submit his resignation. He feels humiliated by the way the extension letter has been drafted,” sources present during the meeting on Thursday said.

Sources claimed that the tone and tenor of the letter granting extension was  harsh and humiliating. Interestingly, the commission’s term had expired in August. The letter granting extension till December was sent a week back.

Justice Malte could not be reached for comments. His family members also declined to comment on the matter. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Amitabh Rajan said his department was yet to receive Malte’s resignation.

The state appointed the judicial commission in March 2013 after riots broke out in the north Maharashtra town, Dhule, in January last year. Malte was asked to probe the cause of the riots, as well as check if there were police excesses. As many as six people were killed on January 6, all falling to police bullets. Local Muslims had complained of police excesses and claimed that policemen deliberately fired to kill Muslim youths.

Lawyers associated with the commission claimed that there was still a lot of work left for the Commission to do. “So far, we have managed to complete just 25 per cent of the total work assigned to the commission,” one of the lawyers said.

The state Minority Commission, while taking cognisance of Malte’s resignation, said it would ask the state not to accept it. “I will speak with the home minister and ask him not to accept Malte’s resignation. The functioning of the Commission is important to find out what really happened that day,” Minority Commission member Gulzar Azmi said.
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