After four days of ruckus in the Maharashtra Legislature on the two issues, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday ordered separate judicial inquiries into the violence over the the desecration of replica of Constitution at the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Parbhani and the brutal kidnapping-murder of a Sarpanch in the Beed district.
Fadnavis made an announcement to this effect, while responding to a debate on the two incidents in the State Assembly.
It may be recalled that a day after a glass-encased replica of the Indian Constitution was vandalised by some miscreants near Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s statue located outside the local railway station, protesters resorted to large-scale violence, arson and stone-pelting, amid a bandh called by the Ambedkarite activists on December 11. One of the accused, Somnath Suryawanshi, who was arrested in case of the violence, died in the judicial custody on 15 December. Suryawanhi hailed from the Wadar community.
On December 9, Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh of Massejeog village in Beed district was kidnapped and murdered brutally. Following the incident, the police arrested NCP (AP) activist Vishnu Chate, who was expelled from his party immediately afterwards.
Chate was earlier allegedly involved in an extortion case of Rs. 3 crore. The police have found a link between the extortion case involving a windmill company and the Sarpanch murder case. In the previous (extortion) case lodged by the local windmill company, one of the accused was Walmiki Karad, who is alleged to have been linked to a senior NCP (AP) minister Dhananjay Munde.
Acknowledging the prevalence of lawlessness in Beed and attempts to create an atmosphere of anarchy in Beed, Fadnavis said that the State government would initiate a 'cleansing process' to protect the local industrialists from harassment.
Fadnavis said that Karad and his accomplices had been booked for extortion of Rs 2 crore and will be charged under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 in the Beed sarpanch murder case. “We have decided to transfer the Beed Superintendent of Police. A Special Investigation Team has already been constituted under the inspector general of police to probe the killing incident. In addition, a judicial probe will be held to fix responsibility and suggest ways to cleanse the lawlessness being witnessed in Beed district. The report of the probe is expected in six months," the chief minister said.
Condemning the large-scale violence at Parbhani, Fadnavis said: “The violence is unacceptable. The police have arrested the culprit – a person named Pawar – in connection with the desecration of the replica of the Indian constitution. The culprit is a mentally challenged person. The police have found medical records to confirm his condition and there was no criminal act behind his act of vandalising the replica of the Indian constitution”.
The chief minister said that a judicial probe will be conducted into the large-scale violence, arson and stone-throwing that took place after the desecration and the death of an arrested person in judicial custody. “Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is not limited to any caste. He belongs to all,” Fadnavis said.
