Pawar appears before Koregaon Bhima panel; skips questions on Bhide, Ekbote

Speaking to media persons after the violence, Pawar had raised suspicion about the role of Hindutva groups in the violence. Also, in his press conference held in February 2020, Pawar had made allegations against Ekbote and Bhide.

But during his cross examination by advocate B G Bansode, representing a Dalit witness, Tukaram Gaware, Pawar said that he did not know Bhide and Ekbote and had “only read about them through media.”

When Bansode asked him another question regarding the duo, Pawar said, “I am restricting myself to the facts stated in my affidavit before the Commission of Inquiry.”

In his additional affidavit filed before the panel last month, Pawar had stated that he had “no personal knowledge or information about the sequence of events” leading to the violence.

Pawar had, in his first affidavit filed before the commission in October 2018, stated that he was “not in a position to specifically make allegations against any particular organisation” for causing the violence. He had also stated: “It is unfortunate that the state government and law enforcement authorities failed to protect the interest of the common man residing at Koregaon Bhima and around localities of Pune district. Active role of right-wing forces behind the violence at Koregaon Bhima cannot be ruled out. However, concrete evidence can be gathered only by the law enforcement agencies of the state.”

Cross-examining Pawar on this statement, advocate Nitin Pradhan, representing Ekbote, asked the leader if he did not have any personal knowledge of the Koregaon Bhima incident and if his “information was only based on press reports and through other sources and was hearsay”. Pawar replied, “It is correct”.

During cross-examination by advocate Kiran Channe, representing Dalit activist Ravindra Chandane, Pawar said, “By right wing, I mean persons who are taking advantage of the fault lines (relating to religion and caste) in society (and who) spread hatred amongst different sections of the society. Left wing is an ideology.”

Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inbox

Based on a complaint filed by Dalit political activist Anita Sawale, an offence was lodged against Bhide and Ekbote for allegedly instigating the Koregaon Bhima violence. Pune rural police arrested Ekbote and also chargesheeted him in the case. But Bhide was never arrested and was dropped from the charge sheet for “lack of evidence”.

No comment on Prakash Ambedkar’s ‘bandh’ call

When advocate Ashish Satpute, who was recording Pawar’s examination in chief on behalf of the commission, asked the NCP leader who should be held responsible for the loss of public and private property allegedly caused during the ‘bandh’ called by Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on January 3, 2018, Pawar said that he did not want to make any submission in the respect as the matter was “sub judice”.