While making oral submission of his final argument before the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry, advocate Shishir Hiray, who represents the state, claimed the violence in Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018 was a matter of a “larger conspiracy.” Hiray also justified the actions taken by the police department in handling the January 1 violence situation.
The government had, on February 9, 2018, constituted a two-member commission, headed by retired High Court judge Justice JN Patel for probing the causes of Koregaon Bhima violence in which one person had died and several others including police personnel were left injured. Former chief secretary Sumit Mallick was appointed the second member of the commission.
The Commission has recorded evidence of over 50 witnesses, who include villagers from Koregaon Bhima, Vadhu Budruk, senior politicians like Sharad Pawar, Prakash Ambedkar, government and police officials and other persons. The Commission has asked lawyers representing different parties and witnesses to submit their final arguments. Some parties have blamed Hindutva leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide for Koregaon Bhima violence on January 1, 2018, while other parties have placed the blame on organisers of Elgaar Parishad, the conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of battle of Koregaon Bhima. Police have alleged that Elgaar Parishad was allegedly held as per a CPI-Maoist strategy.
VV Palnitkar, the Commission’s secretary said that during hearings conducted in Pune from October 22 to 24, the state has submitted its final arguments orally through special public prosecutor Hiray. The written arguments will be submitted in the next hearings, Palnitkar said.
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