Bhima Koregaon violence probe: Maharashtra govt grants inquiry panel 15th extension, till Nov 30

The government had on February 9, 2018 constituted a two-member commission, headed by retired High Court judge Justice J N Patel to probe the cause of violence reported in Pune’s Koregaon Bhima area on January 1, 2018, in which one person had died and several others were left injured. Former chief secretary Sumit Mallick was appointed the second member of the commission.

Initially, the commission had been given four months to submit its report, but its tenure had to be repeatedly extended to allow it to complete its work. The commission could not function during the Covid-19 outbreak. The last extension was granted till August 31, 2024.

Meanwhile, the commission sought another extension to complete the final arguments and compile its report. The state government granted the extension and has asked the commission to complete its work and submit the final report by November 30, 2024.

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 the lawyers representing different witnesses to submit their final arguments in writing.

V V Palnitkar, the Commission’s secretary, said, “We have received final arguments from some lawyers. The other lawyers have been asked to submit their final arguments before the next hearing of the commission on September 23.”
The Commission conducted its hearings in Pune from October 20 to October 23. During a recent hearing, the commission has issued summons to four persons for conducting an inquiry into an audio clip of a phone call that had gone viral after the January 1 violence in Koregaon Bhima and a video of a group of persons holding saffron flags near a temple in Vadhu Budruk village.