Published 14:44 IST, January 29th 2020
Nawab Malik accuses Centre of 'shielding someone' by transferring Bhima Koregaon case
After the Centre transferred the Bhima-Koregaon probe to the NIA, NCP's Nawab Malik called out the Central govt for transferring the probe to shield someone
After Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut wrote an editorial in Sena's mouthpiece Saamana attacking the Central government for its interference in the affairs of Maharashtra after the transfer of the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad cases to the NIA, Maha Vikas Aghadi government's cabinet minister Nawab Malik also slammed the Centre for transferring the probe to NIA.
While interacting with a news agency on Wednesday, Nawab Malik accused the previous Maharashtra BJP government for having a role in planning the Bhima-Koregaon riots.
"Two years ago, Bhima-Koregaon riots were planned by the then ruling party. After that incident, a huge protest was there in the state of Maharashtra. The government had to face people's anger in Maharashtra," Malik said.
Adding further to his statement, he also claimed that the complaint made by BJP regarding the incident in Pune to be fake. "BJP made a complaint in Pune that Bhima-Koregaon incident happened due to Elgar Parishad. It was a fake complaint."
"As the government has changed in Maharashtra, the Centre has transferred this case to NIA to shield someone," Malik added.
Sanjay Raut lambasts Center
Taking to Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamana, Sena MP Sanjay Raut alleged that the rationale behind the Modi government’s move was to stifle the truth and protect certain individuals.
Sanjay Raut wrote, “The Centre forcefully transferred the Elgar Parishad probe to the NIA because it wanted to stifle the truth and wanted to save someone. This is an assault on the rights and self-respect of states. India is a quasi-federal country. Many such incidents are taking place in BJP-ruled states. Why does the Centre not interfere there? The Union Home Ministry burned the midnight oil to ensure that the state does not get a Chief Minister from Shiv Sena. They misused the Raj Bhavan, but nothing happened.”
The editorial also noted the fact that BJP was losing its hold in many states across the country. Maintaining that the Centre had tried to murder democracy, he asserted that citizens had foiled this design. Furthermore, the Shiv Sena MP warned against the misuse of investigative agencies to put pressure on the states.
Bhima Koregaon violence and the subsequent arrests
Violence had erupted at Koregaon-Bhima village in Pune district on January 1, 2018, where supporters had gathered to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. This resulted in the death of one person and left several injured. Subsequently, the Pune police arrested activists such as Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira, and Vernon Gonsalves, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale and P Varavara Rao for allegedly inciting the Bhima Koregoan violence through their speech at the Elgar Parishad meeting on December 31, 2017.
Updated 14:44 IST, January 29th 2020