Pune: While the residents of Koregaon Bhima believe cases against youngsters — booked in the aftermath of the Koregaon Bhima violence — should be dropped, they feel the main conspirators, who instigated the violence, should not be allowed to go scot-free.
“The move to withdraw cases, which are not of a serious nature, is good,” said Praful Shivle, the former sarpanch of Vadhu Budruk. He added, “In the violence, many villagers suffered huge losses as their properties were damaged. Later, police booked the locals, including many youngsters. Keeping their future in mind, their names must be removed from the cases.”
A section of villagers, however, felt the main conspirators should face the music. Rajendra Gaikwad, a local resident said, “The situation has normalised now. However, one can’t deny the psychological damage that the violence caused. The police should arrest the conspirators and take stringent action against them.”
A total of 58 cases were registered by the Pune police in connection with riots that erupted on the New Year’s Day, and 162 persons were arrested. The riots had left one dead and over a hundred injured, including 60 policemen.
On Tuesday, the chief minister said the not-so-serious cases will be withdrawn and a committee will be set up to look into the serious cases. Fadnavis also announced compensation for those who suffered losses.
