Prakash Ambedkar, president of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, has demanded the commission probing the January 2018 Koregaon-Bhima violence to summon the current Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis. Ambedkar also wants Fadnavis, who was the chief minister of the state at the time of the incident, to be questioned and has written a letter to the commission in this regard last week. Ambedkar has also demanded to summon the then Additional Chief Secretary Sumit Malik and the then Superintendent of Police of Pune, Suvez Haque. He said in the letter, ‘Before asking me to appear, I would like to interrogate the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the then Additional Chief Secretary Sumit Malik and Pune Superintendent of Police Suvez Haque. The commission is requested to make arrangements (for inquiry) in this sequence.’
The commission had asked Ambedkar to appear on June 5 but he informed in the letter that he would not be in Mumbai on the said day due to his prior schedule but could appear on June 14 and 15. Malik is now the sole member of the commission, which is headed by Justice (retd) JN Patel.
Significantly, in the year 2018, violence broke out at the war memorial at Koregaon-Bhima in Pune to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the 1818 war between the British East India Company and the Peshwa of Pune. The Peshwa was defeated in that battle and the Dalit community celebrates this day as soldiers from the Mahar community were also involved in the British East India army in the battle. Some right-wing organizations opposed the 2018 ceremony. Meanwhile, when Dalit leader and Union minister Ramdas Athawale was asked in Nagpur on Tuesday about Ambedkar’s demand, he said it is the commission’s prerogative as to whom to summon.
The Republican Party of India leader said Fadnavis worked as chief minister to maintain law and order during the violence and would certainly appear before the commission when summoned.
