The state-appointed two-member commission inquiring into the January 2018 violence at Pune's Bhima-Koregaon area has summoned NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who is likely to appear before it on February 23 or 24 to record his statements. The commission would commence it's next round of hearing in Mumbai from February 21.
As per advocate Ashish Satpute, the counsel for the commission, the panel has summoned around five witnesses including Suvez Haque, who was the superintendent of police (Pune Rural) at the time of riots.
The commission comprising of Chief Justice (retd.) Jaynarayan Patel and Sumeet Mullick, the former state chief secretary, also summoned IPS officer Vishwas Nangare-Patil, who was Special Inspector General of the Kolhapur range when the Bhima Koregaon riots broke out. He would however, only submit an affidavit and won't testify before the panel.
The official list of witnesses shared by Satpute names Ravindra Sengaonkar, the then additional commissioner of police and second-in- command during the preparation and execution of police bandobast at the Elgar Parishad meeting which was held on December 31, 2017, a day prior to the riots.
Next on the list is Sandip Pakhale, the then additional superintendent of the Pune rural police. Following him is Pawar.
Lastly, the list mentions name of Harshali Potdar, who is part of the Republican Panthers Caste Annihilation Movement and whose name has also cropped up during the Pune Police's investiations into the Elgar Parishad case which led to arrest of several activists, lawyers, and journalists for their alleged links with the banned organisation of CPI-Maoist.
