Fadnavis orders probes as politics gathers pace over Maha clashes
MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday announced a judicial probe into the Bhima-Koregaon violence by a sitting high court judge and a CID inquiry into the death of a Dalit youth who was killed in the clashes.
The decision was announced after a state Cabinet meeting on Tuesday even as opposition parties tried to corner the government over its ‘inept’ handling of the situation. The chief minister also announced compensation of ₹10 lakh to the family of Rahul Phatangale, the 28-year-old resident of Sanaswadi, Pune, who died on Monday.
“The government will investigate if there were deliberate attempts by some forces to trigger violence. The CID will probe the killing of the youth, treating it as murder. Besides, a financial aid of ₹10 lakh to the family of the youth and compensation for damages to vehicles of people who had gone to commemorate the bicentenary celebration will be given,” Fadnavis said,
Union home minister Rajnath Singh also spoke Fadnavis and enquired about the prevailing law and order situation in different parts of the state.
Around three lakh people had gathered at Bhima Koregaon, located around 40km from Pune city, far higher than the number of visitors seen every year.
“We had deployed six police companies to control the situation. Some vehicles were torched and stone were pelted, but we succeeded in preventing the violence from turning into a riotlike situation,” Fadnavis said.
The CM also warned that strict action would be taken against those who spread rumours. He has appealed to political outfits and leaders to restrain themselves from issuing statements and disrupting “social harmony”.
OPPN CORNERS GOVT
The Opposition, however, slammed the government for inept handling of the situation. “People from the village told me that some outsiders who belonged to right-wing organisations incited violence. Thousands of people gather at the spot every year, but there is no history of violence at this commemoration. Anticipating a large gathering on the occasion of the bicentenary, the government authorities should have taken due precautions,” NCP president Sharad Pawar said.
He also urged his political peers from other parties to restrain from fuelling violence.
In a tweet, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, “A central pillar of the RSS/BJP’s fascist vision for India is that Dalits should remain at the bottom of Indian society. Una, Rohit Vemula and now Bhima-Koregaon are potent symbols of the resistance.”
State Congress chief Ashok Chavan, too, appealed to people to maintain peace and not believe rumours.
MAGNITUDE OF STIR CAUGHT US OFF GUARD, SAY MUMBAI COPS
-MUMBAI: The Director General of Police’s (DGP) office had on Monday night sounded an alert about possible agitations by Dalit groups but the city police was caught off guard by the magnitude of the protests, senior Mumbai police officials said.
“We had some idea about possible protests, but we never expected the outpouring that followed in the city,” said Sachin Patil, deputy commissioner of police (operations), and the nodal officer for the deployment of police personnel.