While probing the alleged links of activists to the caste clashes at Bhima Koregaon in Pune on January 1, 2018, the police had used the term “urban Naxals”.
This comes a day after Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh held a review meeting with the Pune Police regarding Bhima Koregaon case. Mr Deshmukh said that the government would decide whether to drop the cases or set up an SIT to probe them within a week.
Maharashtra Home Minister claims to have seen the presentations and there could be certain “loopholes’ in the investigation as is being claimed by representations they have received.
Deputy CM of Maharashtra said that a letter recovered from Delhi-based activist Rona Wilson last year, allegedly showing a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to be a spoof obtained from suspicious sources, The Hindu reported on Friday.
The source of the letter and the other evidence in the 5,000-page chargesheet against 10 activists under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act must be substantiated in 15 days. Otherwise, the Maharashtra government will appoint an SIT to take another look at the case, he is believed to have said.
Also Read: Bhima Koregaon Violence Case: Pune police arrest activists in Multi-city raids
Sharad Pawar, in his letter, said officers involved in “framing the people in the case” need to be suspended. He alleged misuse of power by the Pune police while investigating the case.
Home Minister said that they will hold another review meeting soon as it could not be completed on Thursday. “But we have sought details regarding the evidence that the police had while submitting the chargesheets,” he said. “We want to know all the details to understand how the case was probed, which led to the arrests of these activists.”
2018 marked the 200th year of battle and hence there was a larger gathering at Bhima Koregaon as compared to previous years. During the celebrations there were violent clashes between Dalit and Maratha groups, resulting in the death of at least one person and injuries to several others.
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