Warrant issued against author, ex-IAS officer Vishwas Patil by Koregaon Bhima panel

Patil, however, did not appear then, saying he was in Bihar for a book festival. So the commission asked him to appear during the next hearing on October 27.
V V Palnitkar, Secretary of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry said, “Vishwas Patil did not appear today citing medical reasons. Advocate Deshmukh filed an application before the commission that a warrant may be issued against him. The commission allowed the application. Accordingly, a bailable warrant has been issued against Vishwas Patil on his Mumbai address through police authorities which has asked to remain present before the Commission on October 29… ”

Special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray said the order passed by the Commission in this regard will be executed by the police. 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 left injured.

Advocate Deshmukh of Vadhu Budruk Gram Panchayat said that Vishwas Patil has in his book titled “Sambhaji” mentioned unhistorical and controversial information about the last rites of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

Vadhu Budruk is a historic village (located about 4 kms from Koregaon Bhima), known for the samadhi of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The village also has a disputed tomb-like structure, which, according to the Dalit 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 Dalit 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 intervening night of December 28 and 29, 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.

Patil has been appointed as the president of the 99th All India Marathi Literary Meet to be held in Satara in January 2026. 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.

Meanwhile, the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry is currently conducting its hearing in Pune from October 27 to October 30. The extension granted to the by the state government expires on October 31, 2025. The Commission has requested the government for further extension.