Prakash Ambedkar to file affidavit before Koregaon Bhima inquiry commission by July 24, seek cross-examination of Fadnavis

The two-member commission, headed by retired high court judge J N Patel, is probing into the cause of the violence in which one person died and several others were injured after a large number of Dalits, mainly Ambedkarites, had gathered at the ‘Jaystambh (war monument erected by British)’ in Perne to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima.

Ambedkar claimed there was an intelligence failure at the time of the Koregaon Bhima violence, similar to that observed in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai when actionable inputs were received but were not acted upon. He demanded that Fadnavis, Mallick and Suvez Haque, the then superintendent of police (Pune rural), be cross-examined before the commission in view of the intelligence failure.

However, the commission asked Ambedkar to file a written affidavit in this regard and informed him that further action will be decided after going through the affidavit.

Following an application filed by the commission’s lawyer Aashish Satpute, the commission had issued a “letter of request” to Ambedkar twice, asking him to appear on March 27 and June 5. He did not appear before it, but submitted a letter through his representative asking the commission to call Fadnavis and Mallick prior to his deposition. Ambedkar stated that he wanted to cross-examine the two before the commission.

In his application, citing the commission’s ‘terms of reference (TOR)’, lawyer Satpute had stated that it was necessary to consider the suggestions given by Ambedkar to know what more powers, tools and machinery can be given to police officers so they would be in a better position to control situations like “political bandh, communal riots, political agitation, etc” and prevent such incidents in future.

The VBA chief had blamed Hindutva leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote for the Koregaon Bhima violence and called a ‘Maharashtra Bandh’ to protest on January 3, 2018. However, incidents of violence were reported at various locations during the agitation.

The commission is conducting its hearings in Pune from Monday till July 21.