Manohar Bhide and Jignesh Mevani: Two arrest or not to arrest?

Mumbai: The state government is in no tearing hurry to arrest right wing leader Manohar Bhide, even though an FIR was registered on January 2 against him and Milind Ekbote. The duo is blamed in the FIR for instigating the Koregaon-Bhima riots.Bhide, who is a self-styled guru, is said to be close to the BJP top brass in the state and at the Centre. The other two persons to be booked on Thursday in the case were Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and Umer Khalid, the secretary of the Students’ Union, of Jawaharlal Nehru University; both were star speakers in Pune and allegedly stoked the fire by delivering inflammatory speeches.

The BJP was under great pressure to book the Dalit leaders after the two right wing leaders were named in the FIR. Having done the needful, the government is not inclined to pursue either case in the earnest, said political observers. In fact, it is felt in some quarters that the government will use non-arrest of Mevani as an excuse for not acting against Bhide and Ekbote.

From day one, Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar has been demanding the arrest of Bhide and Ekbote. Fadnavis has handled both issues deftly; he denied Jignesh permission to address the students in Mumbai on Thursday; similarly, permission has been denied to Bhide for delivering a lecture on Sunday (January 7) at Lalbaug. But for how long the CM can do the tightrope walk remains to be seen.

Bhide appeared before the media for the first time today, but in Sangli, three days after the attacks on Dalits. He defended himself and said he was not present at the trouble spot. The Dalit complainant, Anita Salve, has alleged in the FIR that she saw some workers of Bhide attacking the people at the gathering.

NCP LEADER GIVES CLEAN CHOT TO BHIDE: Meanwhile, Udayan Raje, Member of Parliament of the Nationalist Congress Party, openly defended Manohar Bhide on Friday and said he is not behind the riots. “People who are blaming Bhide have no credibility,” said Raje. This is significant because Raje represents the powerful Maratha community and enjoys much clout. Raje also advised Jitendra Awhad, NCP legislator, to choose his words carefully while speaking about Bhide as he is a “respectable” person.

A BJP strategist said that the government will pressurise Prakash Ambedkar to dilute his demand for the arrest of Bhide. In a quid pro quo, it will not arrest Mevani either. “It will be a win-win situation for both of us,” he said. Meanwhile, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is holding meetings with Dalit leaders to contain the anger within the community.

The Chief Minister’s office, meanwhile, has despatched a letter to the acting Chief Justice of Bombay High Court and informed her of the government’s decision to constitute a judicial committee to investigate the Bhima-Koregaon riots.