The Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry has summoned author and retired IAS officer Vishwas Patil to appear before it in connection with his novel “Sambhaji”, based on the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
The author was summoned after an application was filed before the commission by advocate Mangesh Deshmukh, who represents the Vadhu Budruk Gram Panchayat in Pune, alleging that the novel had “unhistorical” information about the last rites of the Maratha ruler.
Patil, who was recently appointed the president of the 99th All India Marathi Literary Meet to be held in Satara in January next year, was told to appear during the hearing in Pune on September 26.
V V Palnitkar, Secretary of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry said, “We have communicated with Vishwas Patil. He was unable to come on September 26 as he was in Bihar for a book festival event. He has assured to appear before the commission after he returns. Accordingly, we would be calling him again for the next hearings of the Commission in the last week of October.”
The Commission, headed by retired high court justice J N Patel, is probing into the causes of violence that occurred in Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018, in which one person was killed and several others were injured.
Vadhu Budruk is a historic village, located about 4 km from Koregaon Bhima, known for the samadhi of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The village also has a disputed tomb-like structure, which, according to the Mahar community, is the samadhi of Govind Gopal Dhegoji Meghoji, a 17th century figure.
Marathas from Vadhu Budruk village believe it was their ancestors, the Shivale Deshmukhs, who had defied the orders of Aurangzeb and performed the last rites of Sambhaji Maharaj after he was killed by the Mughal emperor in 1689.
The Mahar community, however, claims that Govind Gopal performed the last rites of the king.
A board with the “disputed history” of Govind Gopal erected in Vadhu Budruk on the night of December 28, 2017, had led to an altercation, which was seen as one of the triggers for Koregaon Bhima violence on January 1, 2018.
“As per Vishwas Patil’s book, a person named Govind from the Mahar community was involved in performing last rites of Sambhaji Maharaj. But there is no contemporary historical record to prove it. So we have asked the Commission to call author Vishwas Patil to examine him in connection with the controversial content in his book,” said advocate Deshmukh.
Meanwhile, the outfit Sambhaji Brigade has also issued a legal notice to Patil last week, claiming that his book “Sambhaji” has objectionable content that causes defamation of Sambhaji Maharaj, thereby hurting the sentiments of many.
Sambhaji Brigade has opposed Patil’s appointment as President of the 99th All India Marathi Literary Meet.
The outfit has demanded that Patil should remove the “objectionable” content from his book and tender a public apology.
Replying to Sambhaji Brigade on his social media account, Patil stated he has received the legal notice and his lawyer is seeking exact objections, along with page numbers of his book, from the outfit.
Patil stated that he would verify the facts from the historical sources and research material.
“Sambhaji Maharaj is a matter of pride for me… I have delivered several speeches on the topic for the last 20 years. If there are any errors in writing, there is no reason for me to feel inferior in making corrections and apologise in this regard,” he stated.
Besides “Sambhaji”, which was published about 20 years before, Patil is also known for his books like “Panipat” and a novel “Mahanayak” on Subhash Chandra Bose.
Retired IAS officer Vishwas Patil 
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