Fadnavis won’t be called for deposing before Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry

Prakash Ambedkar had submitted a letter in June 2023 to the commission demanding deposition of Fadnavis, Mallick and Suvez Haque, the then superintendent of police, Pune Rural, as witness in connection with the ongoing inquiry into the Koregaon Bhima violence.

V V Palnitkar, secretary of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry said, “Ambedkar’s letter was already on record, so a fresh application in this regard was not submitted by him on Wednesday. The commission spoke to Ambedkar on this matter. The commission has decided not to call the then CM Devendra Fadnavis and then chief secretary Sumit Mallick for deposing as witnesses.”

Speaking to the media persons, Ambedkar said he has asked the commission to conduct an inquiry into when Fadnavis, Mallick and Haque got information about the violence in Koregaon Bhima, whether and why there was a delay in receiving the said information.

To this, Palnitkar said, “Commission will be asking special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray to file a reply on whether such a delay was caused in giving information about the Koregaon Bhima violence to the then CM, chief secretary and SP, Pune rural.”

Meanwhile, the commission has asked Prakash Ambedkar to submit his final arguments during the next hearing on January 17, 2025. It may be recalled that Ambedkar too had deposed as a witness before the commission. But he quit the commission during the hearing on February 12, this year, while he was being cross examined by the SPP Hiray about the ‘Maharashtra bandh’ called by him on January 3, 2018.

The Commission had then taken it on record that Ambedkar “walked out from the witness box in protest that this issue is not the subject matter before the Commission of Inquiry, which is constituted only to examine the incidents of January 1, 2018.”

The state government had formed the two-member Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry on February 9, 2018. Initially, the commission had been given four months to submit its report, but its tenure had to be repeatedly extended to allow it to complete its work. As per a state home department order, the commission has been recently granted an extension till February 28, 2025.

Commission has recorded evidence of over 50 witnesses, who include villagers from Koregaon Bhima, Vadhu Budruk, senior politicians like Sharad Pawar, police and government officials including Suvez Haque, the then Pune district collector Saurabh Rao and other persons. The Commission is currently conducting its hearing in Pune. Lawyers representing different witnesses are submitting their final arguments to the commission.