The three witnesses are Ambedkarites who visited Koregaon Bhima area on January 1. (Source: File Photo)Cross-examination of only three witnesses has been completed before the Koregaon Bhima Inquiry Commission since September 5, when the hearings began, while five witnesses have been partially heard. The last session for the year was held in Mumbai on Friday.
The hearings will continue in Mumbai from January 15 and in Pune from January 28.
The commission was set up by the Maharashtra government in February to ascertain the sequence of events that led to violent clashes in Koregaon Bhima on January 1. One person was killed and several others were injured in the violence, which broke out when thousands had gathered in the area to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon.
The two-member commission is headed by retired High Court justice Jay Narayan Patel and also comprises Sumit Malik, a former chief secretary with the state government.
Nearly 400 persons — including activists of various Dalit outfits, Hindutva organisations, some NGOs, residents of Koregaon Bhima, Vadhu Budruk and Sanaswadi, victims from Thane, Mumbai and other districts, as well as suspects arrested by Pune Rural Police, including Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote, some of the alleged Maoist operatives booked by Pune City Police in the Elgaar Parishad case and others — filed affidavits before the commission by July 16. These included about 110 affidavits of various government and police officials, submitted by advocate Shishir Hiray, the lawyer representing the state.
The hearings of witnesses who had filed the affidavits started in Mumbai on September 5, and the commission has conducted hearings in Pune and Mumbai on 24 days. While the commission has summoned several witnesses, in the 24 days when hearings were held, only eight witnesses were heard, and the cross-examination of only three was completed. This was mainly because of the time taken for cross examination of each witness by lawyers representing various parties.
Initially, the commission was given four months to conduct the inquiry, but it was later given a three-month extension. The state government is likely to give the panel more time to complete its inquiry.
The witnesses whose cross-examination was completed include Manisha Khopkar of Thane, Tanaji Sable of Ghatkopar and a retired police personnel, Tukaram Gavare of Thane. They are Ambedkarites who visited Koregaon Bhima area on January 1 to visit the Jaystambh, a war memorial in Perne village, to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle.
Meanwhile, others who appeared before the panel include activist Bhimrao Bansod of Aurangabad, who filed a private fact-finding report, researcher Chandrakant Patil of Kharghar, who submitted documents regarding disputes between Peshwas and the British, and the Battle of Koregaon Bhima, Rekha Shivale, the sarpanch of Vadhu Budruk village, and Krishna Argade and Sharad Dabhade, both residents of Vadhu Budruk. While their hearings are partially over, their cross-examination has not been completed yet.
The chief examination of all eight witnesses was conducted by the state’s lawyer, Aashish Satpute.
The commission had written to various political parties and leaders, asking them to submit affidavits regarding any information about the violence. NCP chief Sharad Pawar was the only prominent leader who submitted an affidavit before the commission.
