In a surprising development on Friday, 24 January, the central government transferred the Bhima-Koregaon case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The move drew sharp reactions from the Maharashtra government, who accused the Centre of taking the decision without the consent of the state government, adding that the decision was “against the Constitution”.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the government and said that anyone who opposed the “MOSH agenda” – an acronym used for PM Modi and Amit Shah – is an “Urban Naxal”.
‘Centre Fears It’ll Be Exposed’
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, meanwhile, claimed on Saturday, that the Centre’s decision stems out of fear that it may be exposed.
“I think the government fears it may be exposed. So, the decision has been taken (to transfer the case to NIA).”NCP chief Sharad Pawar
State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, too, had condemned the move: “I strongly condemn the decision to transfer the investigation of Koregaon-Bhima case to NIA, by the central government without any consent of Maharashtra state government.”
Deshmukh also said that the decision was taken after the new Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra decided to “go to the root of the matter”.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis hailed the decision and said that the central government has taken the right step to expose the “urban naxals”.
The case pertains to the violence that broke out near Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Pune district on 1 January 2018. Dalits visit the memorial in large numbers as it commemorates victory of British forces which included Dalit Mahar soldiers over the army of the Brahmin Peshwa rulers of Pune in 1818.
NCP spokesperson and state Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik described the decision as a “cover-up” by the Centre to hide the wrongdoings of the previous BJP-led government in the state, reported PTI.
BJP Conspiracy: Jitendra Awhad
NCP leader and minister Jitendra Awhad hit out at the government and said that the central government can’t take the decision without the consent of the state government.
Referring to the earlier state government run by the BJP, Ahwad said that no such decision was made in the last three years.
“The central government has taken the rights of Maharashtra's legal system into its hands by violating its limitations, it is unconstitutional,” Ahwad said in a tweet.
Earlier in the day, he had also hit out at the BJP government alleging that the Elgar Parishad violence (Bhima-Koregaon) was a “conspiracy” of the previous BJP-led government to malign the image of activists sympathetic to Dalit causes.
‘Has BJP Lost Faith in Maha Police?’: NCP
NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase too trained his guns on the BJP and said, “What is the BJP afraid of? Why have they suddenly lost faith in Maharashtra Police?”
On Thursday, the police had briefed state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Deshmukh about the status of the probe.
NCP chief Pawar had demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune Police in the case.
Maharashtra Congress Spokesperson Sachin Sawant too condemned the move.
Congress leader and Maharashtra minister Balasaheb Thorat also called the decision against the federal structure of India.
Kashyap Opposes MHA Decision
Slamming the government’s decision, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap posted this on Twitter:
“NIA takes over wherever the government has a deep, dark and ugly secret and allegedly very much complicit..”Anurag Kashyap, Filmmaker
(With inputs from PTI)
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