Bhima-Koregaon: NCP MLC requests Uddhav to withdraw cases against Dalits

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLC Prakash Gajbhiye on Tuesday wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray seeking withdrawal of cases filed against Dalits in Bhima Koregaon violence.

"False cases were registered against Dalits in the Bhima Koregaon riots. I have written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting him to take back all these cases," Gajbhiye told ANI.

"In particular, the cases against the students should be taken back as it can affect their careers adversely," he added.

"There should be a review of these cases. It is expected that the Uddhav government will take back the cases lodged against Dalits in the Bhima Koregaon violence case and justice will be done," added Gajbhiye.

On January 1 last year, violence had erupted at an event to mark the 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one dead and several injured, including 10 policemen.

The police had filed 58 cases against 162 people during a state-wide shutdown in January following clashes in Bhima-Koregaon.

The then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had instructed the Maharashtra Police to appropriately act against all those involved in the violence, after which many people were arrested from across the state.

Later that year, the police filed a charge sheet against ten people including five arrested activists -- Roma Wilson, Shoma Sen, Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut and Surendra Gadling and five absconding accused -- Commander Dipak Milind Teltumbde, Kishanda Prashant Bose, Prakash Naveen Rituoam Goswami, Commanders Deepu and Manglu.

The police, in its charge sheet, alleged that Elgaar Parishad, which was organised at Pune's Shaniwar Wada on December 31, 2017, had aggravated the violence in Koregaon Bhima a day later.

The charge sheet further stated that a letter recovered from one of the arrested accused revealed that a conspiracy was being framed to plan a Rajiv Gandhi like assassination to take down Prime Minister Narendra Modi.