Mumbai: In the wake of the Centre’s decision to hand over the investigation into the Bhima-Koregaon riot case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra advocate general (AG) Ashutosh Kumbhakoni. The state government has decided to seek the legal opinion of the advocate general on whether the Centre had “reasonable grounds” to transfer the case to the NIA.
The Union home ministry had sent a letter to Maharashtra director general of police Subodh Jaiswal on January 25, informing him that the Union was taking over the probe. However, the letter has been sent to the law and judiciary department of Maharashtra, seeking its opinion. Meanwhile, Mr Deshmukh has said that he had personally not received the letter.
A senior official said that the state government does not have any option but to cooperate with the NIA.
Mr Deshmukh said, “We have met the AG and apprised him of the letter. We have sought his opinion on what would be the stand of the state if the Centre seeks to transfer the case to the NIA.” He added that the chief minister, AG and himself would review the letter and take an appropriate decision.
The home minister said that many organisations have met him over the Bhima-Koregaon riot case. They expressed suspicions that the inquiry into the case had been conducted with prejudice and a few people had been falsely implicated in the case while others had been overlooked.
He also pointed out that the NCP chief Sharad Pawar, too, had written a letter to the state government seeking the setting up of Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe this matter.
