Bhima-Koregaon Violence: Bajrang Dal, Patit Pavan role in riots

Mumbai: Three witnesses have filed a common affidavit which clearly points to the role of Manohar Bhide and Milind Ekbote as the main conspirators in the Bhima Koregaon riots. This affidavit is among the 20 affidavits filed by various witnesses before the inquiry commission headed by Jainarayan Patel, retired chief justice of Calcutta High Court, and Sumit Mullick, former chief secretary of the Maharashtra government.

The common affidavit filed by Vishal Shankar Sonawane, Balasaheb Bhalerao and Sachitanand Chokhu Kadlak recounts the events in run up to the Bhima Koreagaon riots on January 1. The two extreme right-wing Hindu outfits named for the first time in any affidavit are Patit Pavan Sanghatana and Bajrang Dal.  “Activists from two Hindu outfits, Patit Pavan Sanghatana and Bajrang Dal from Nashik, were called to participate in the Bhima-Koregaon riots,” Sonawane, Bhalerao and Kadlak have stated this in their affidavit.

The trio also said the police had sent inputs to Intelligence Bureau regarding all the precipitating factors and key leaders involved in provoking the riots. Many villagers had written to the administration and confidential information was collected by the police and inputs given to Intelligence Bureau at least two to three months in advance,” reads the statement. They further named the police officer who was aware of the events. “Suvez Haque, the rural SP, was aware of the build-up to the riots, but he failed to take cognisance and preventive measures. Haque also did not hold community meetings to quell the sentiment.”

The trio have describe vividly how the mob marched from Vadu-Budruk to Bhima-Koregaon, which is nearly a three km stretch, yet the police allowed the mob to move on. “The police were mute spectators even though they saw the mob march down this road and indulge in stone pelting. They also destroyed vehicles on the way,” says the statement.

The other policeman named is Assistant Police Inspector, Atul Bhosale, who failed to report at the spot. “Bhosale was not at the spot though it was his assigned duty. He was one policeman who could recognise the rioters. Even though Bhosale was aware of the involvement of the accused in Bhima-Koregaon and Sanaswadi riots, he deliberately saved some of the accused,” the trio wrote in their statement.

The trio, however, have commended efforts made by Sandeep Pakhale, Additional SP, and Tejaswini Satpute, Additional SP, for controlling the mob. “They prevented a huge catastrophe,” said the statement. They also praised the efforts of sensitive villagers who helped Dalit women and children by sheltering them during the riots. The trio further said that even on January 2, rioters continued to attack homes of Dalits and establishments in the presence of police who watched.

The affidavit has named Anil Kashid, Keshav Fadtare, Sampat Gawhane, Arvind Gawhane and Jeetendra Gawhane as main conspirators of January 1 riots. “The people who created problems at Ranaswadi were Vaibhav Yadav, Pandit Darekar, Babasaheb Sayeed and Suresh Hargude. The ones who were responsible for communal tensions in Vadu Budruk were Prafulla Shivle, Somnath Bhandare, Milind Ekbote and local workers of Shiv Pratishthan.”