Koregaon Bhima violence: Prakash Ambedkar seeks Sharad Pawar’s letter to Uddhav that blamed Fadnavis govt

V V Palnitkar, secretary of the commission, said they have received Ambedkar’s application. “We have asked special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray to file a say on it,” said Palnitkar.

Ambedkar told media persons that Pawar had in the past hinted at the involvement of “right wing” groups in the Koregaon Bhima violence.
Ambedkar said there were three theories – one being that the Superintendent (SP), Pune rural police pointing at the involvement of Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, two – the Commissioner of Pune City Police putting the blame on Naxalites, and three – former chief minister Sharad Pawar hinting at the involvement of “right wing” groups.

“The commission will examine the details we have submitted today and then if required, call former chief minister Sharad Pawar again…,” he said.
It may be recalled that while speaking to media persons after the Koregaon Bhima violence, Sharad Pawar had raised suspicion about the role of Hindutva groups. In his press conference held in February 2020, Pawar had also made allegations against Ekbote and Bhide.

But while deposing as a witness before the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry on May 5, 2022, Pawar skipped questions related to Ekbote and Bhide and avoided making any allegations against the Hindutva groups. During his cross examination by advocate B G Bansode, who represented a Dalit witness, Pawar had said that he did not know Bhide and Ekbote and “only read about them in the 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 commission in April 2022, Pawar had stated that he had “no personal knowledge or information about the sequence of events” leading to the violence.

In his first affidavit filed before the commission in October 2018, Pawar had stated that he was “not in a position to specifically make allegations against any particular organisation” for causing the violence. In the same affidavit, Pawar had stated, “….. 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.”

The two member commission headed by retired high court justice J N Patel was formed by the state government on February 9, 2018 for probing the causes of the violence in Pune’s Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018, in which one person had died and several others were left injured. Former bureaucrat Sumit Mallick was appointed the second member of the commission.

Dalit leader and chief of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Ambedkar had in June 2023 submitted a letter to the commission demanding deposition of Fadnavis, Mallick and IPS officer Suvez Haque, as witnesses in connection with the ongoing inquiry into the Koregaon Bhima violence.

Fadnavis was chief minister, Mallick was chief secretary and Haque was SP, Pune rural police, at the time of Koregaon Bhima violence. While Haque’s cross examination was conducted, the commission decided not to call Fadnavis, who is now again the chief minister of Maharashtra.

The Commission is currently conducting its hearings in Pune. Lawyers representing different witnesses are submitting their final arguments to the commission. As per a state home department order, the extension granted to the commission will expire on February 28, 2025. Commission has recorded evidence of over 50 witnesses, who include villagers from Koregaon Bhima, Vadhu Budruk, police and government officials, the then Pune district collector Saurabh Rao and other persons.