Prakash Ambedkar (File) The Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry has passed an order to issue a ‘letter of request’ to prominent Maharashtra Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, asking him to appear before it during a hearing in Pune on March 27.
The order was passed on Thursday following an application filed by advocate Aashish Satpute, the lawyer representing the commission.
The two-member commission headed by retired judge Justice J N Patel was formed by the Maharashtra government to investigate the cause of violence in the Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018. Lakhs of Dalits, mainly from the Ambedkarite Mahar community, had gathered at the ‘Jaystambh’ to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Koregaon Bhima. One person had died and several others were injured in the violence.
V V Palnitkar, secretary of the commission, confirmed that such an order has been passed. As per the order, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Ambedkar has been asked to appear before the commission on March 27 and he may file his affidavit and evidence, Palnitkar said.
Ambedkar had blamed Hindutva leaders Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote for the Koregaon Bhima violence and called for a Maharashtra bandh on January 3, 2018. However, incidents of violence were reported at various locations during the bandh.
In his application, Satpute pointed out that as per the ‘terms of reference’ of the commission, it has “to suggest short term and long term measures to be taken by the district administration and the police in order to avoid recurrence of such incidence”. Ambedkar’s presence before the judicial commission was necessary, Satpute said, with reference to the aforesaid terms.
Satpute stated it is necessary to consider Ambedkar’s views to know what more powers, tools and machinery can be given to the police so that they would be in a better position to control law and order situations like political bandhs, communal riots, political agitations etc and to prevent such incidents in the future.
Satpute also said that the commission had issued notices to various prominent political leaders in 2018 itself. But except for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, no other political leader “made any efforts to respond back to the notices issued to them” by the commission, he added. Pawar had deposed before the commission on May 5, 2022, and was then cross-examined by the lawyers representing different witnesses.