CM, govt officials should be summoned: Prakash Ambedkar

Pune: Bharip Bahujan Sangh leader Prakash Ambedkar has demanded that before examining victims and other witnesses in Bhima-Koregaon incident the Enquiry Commission should first examine government officials, including chief minister, police and revenue officers because as per the government notification the commission has been set up to examine role of administration in preventing and controlling the January 1 riots.

Mr Ambedkar made this demand before the commission while representing M.N. Kamble. However J.N. Patel, the member of the commission, said that it will be easier to cross-examine government officials after first hearing victims and other witnesses.

The commission has begun hearing of witnesses and victims who filed their affidavits in Pune since November 1. Earlier it heard applicants twice in Mumbai and once in Pune.

Mr Ambedkar said, “Commission should summon Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister and home minister, Dipak Kesarkar, state minister for home (rural), Ranjit Patil, state minister home (urban), Sumit Mallick, the then chief secretary of state, head of state intelligence department, Satish Mat-hur, DGP Datta Padsa-lgikar, the then DG of intelligence department Vishw-as Nagare Patil, IG Kolh-apur Range, Suvez Haque the then SP of Pune rural police and investigation officers of all FIRs in connection with riots, police in charge of Shikrapur police station, block development officer of Shirur and Grampanchayat members of Vadhu village.”

Ashish Satpute, lawyer of commission, citing the jud-gment of Gujarat high cou-rt of 2012 in similar case, said that the intention of summoning should be to help the commission and  not be otherwise.