Officer who probed Elgaar Parishad questioned on FIR against Bhide, Ekbote

Desai questioned Pawar about the FIR lodged by a Dalit activist Anita Sawale accusing Hindutva leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote for allegedly instigating Koregaon Bhima violence. However, Pawar said he was not assigned this case and was not concerned with the probe into it.

Pawar is currently the deputy director (administration) of Maharashtra Police Academy, Nashik. He was an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) with Pune City Police at the time of violence. He had carried out an investigation into this FIR lodged at the Vishrambag police station by a Pune resident, Tushar Damgude, against some of the activists involved in the organisation of Elgaar Parishad at Shaniwar Wada in Pune on December 31, 2017, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima. Next day, widespread violence was reported in the area.

According to Pune City Police’s probe, Elgaar Parishad was organised as per the strategy of the banned CPI-Maoist and speeches delivered at the conclave and previous campaigns for the event were among the factors that caused the violence. Probe into this case was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

As many as 16 persons, including activists, lawyers from different cities were arrested in this case for alleged links with CPI-Maoist, under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

IPS officer Ravindra Sengaonkar (now retired) had filed an affidavit before the commission on behalf of Pune City Police in October 2018, in which he had attached a report on the Elgaar Parishad probe given by Pawar to the then commissioner of Pune city police.

Advocate Desai confronted Pawar with an FIR lodged by Sawale against Bhide and Ekbote, which was investigated by the Pune rural police. Desai also confronted Pawar with an affidavit filed in Supreme Court against Ekbote by deputy superintendent of police Ganesh More of Pune rural, who had investigated this FIR.

Desai alleged Pawar prepared a false report, “solely to implicate innocent people as Maoist” to protect Bhide and Ekbote. Desai claimed that Pawar ignored Sawale’s case and its chargesheet as it was contrary to the probe in Damgude’s case.

Pawar refuted these allegations saying his report pertains to the Elgaar Parishad case lodged at Vishrambag police station, while DySP More’s affidavit was regarding the case at the Shikrapur police station of Pune rural police.