Bhima-Koregaon clashes | Prakash Ambedkar seeks cross-examination of Devendra Fadnavis

Prakash Ambedkar seeks cross-examination of ex-Maharashtra CM Fadnavis in Bhima-Koregaon inquiry. Ambedkar to file affidavit by July 24. Clashes in 2018 left one dead, heightened social tension.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on July 17 said that he would file an affidavit by July 24 seeking a cross-examination of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in connection with the 2018 Bhima-Koregaon clashes before the inquiry commission probing the causes of the violence.

Mr. Fadnavis was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra (2014-19) when the clashes occurred in Bhima-Koregaon and other adjoining villages in Pune district, leaving one person dead besides heightening the social tension across the State.

Following the clashes, the then State government had set up a two-member inquiry commission comprising retired Kolkata High Court Chief Justice J.N. Patel and former Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sumit Mullick in February 2018 to probe the sequence of events leading up to the New Year’s Day violence that year.

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Appearing before the commission during its hearing in Pune on July 17, Mr. Ambedkar reiterated his call to summon both Mr. Fadnavis and Mr. Mallick to depose on grounds that the former was the CM and the latter was the Chief Secretary when the clashes erupted.

Mr. Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, said there was no record on the commission’s inquiry thus far as to what action was taken by the Fadnavis administration on the intelligence inputs allegedly received regarding the violence that would erupt on January 1, 2018.

“Actionable intelligence comes in, but there is no probe [by the then administration] on the basis of that. So, I have told the commission that I will be submitting an affidavit before July 24 giving information on the intelligence loopholes that should have been plugged by the then administration and who all ought to be probed for sitting on intelligence that was received,” Mr. Ambedkar said.