Bhima-Koregaon Commission Refuses To Summon CM Devendra Fadnavis As Witness

The State-appointed two-member Commission which is probing the Bhima-Koregaon violence of 2018 on Wednesday turned down the request made by advocate Prakash Ambedkar, who sought to call Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in the witness box.

Dalit leader Ambedkar was making his final submissions in the matter while representing his party Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).

Notably, the commission comprising of Justice (retd.) Jay Narayan Patel and former State Chief Secretary Sumit Mullick has been conducting an enquiry into the violence that broke out in Pune's Bhima-Koregaon area, between followers of Dr BR Ambedkar and right-wing groups, while the former were ushering into the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the victory of the community over Peshwas.

Speaking to Live Law, Ambedkar confirmed that he requested the commission to summon Fadnavis to depose on the issue of whether and why there was a delay on part of the Pune Rural Police in informing the then CM (Fadnavis) who was also holding the charge of Home Minister, about the violence.

"I had made an official application in June 2023 to call Fadnavis, Mullick and also the then Superintendent of Police (Pune Rural) Suvez Haque as witnesses. On Wednesday, I appeared before the Commission for making my final submissions and while doing so, I reminded the Commission of my application and requested them to call the three including Fadnavis as a witness for examination," Ambedkar said.

However, the sources in the Commission, informed that the members of the commission opined that it would not be proper to call Fadnavis and others as a witness at this stage especially in view of the statement made by Fadnavis in the State Assembly.

Notably, the then Chief Minister had spoken on the floor of the house about the presence of around 200-300 people holding saffron flags, sloganeering at the place of the caste violence on January 1, 2018.

Further, the Commission may ask Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray to submit a report on the same, a source informed.

It would not be out of place to mention that the Bhima-Koregaon Commission was constituted in 2018 itself with a task to fact find about the violence and also to give recommendations to avoid such violence in future. Since the last seven years, the Commission has received several extensions with the latest one in August, this year.

The Commission is presently hearing final arguments in the matter and is likely to come up with its findings in 2025.