Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 27th March said that Shiv Pratishthan’s chief Sambhaji Bhide cannot be arrested for being involved in the Bhima-Koregaon violence in Pune because there was no evidence against him.
A woman has named Bhide in an FIR. But Fadnavis said that the woman has never seen or met Bhide but was just going by what people were saying in the area about the violence that took place in January. He also said that the state has even looked into Bhide’s phone records and hasn’t found anything to accuse him of. But the investigation is still probing the case said CM Fadnavis. The woman named Bhide and Milind Ekbote in the violence.
Fadnavis said that details were shared with the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh’s president Prakash Ambedkar. Ambedkar said that there was some evidence in Facebook posts with regard to Bhide and the CM said that the police will be looking into that too.
Fadnavis said, “The violence against those who came to pay their respects at Bhima-Koregaon was wrong. We will take action against anyone who has even indirectly instigated the violence.“
Protestors organised a rally in Azad Maidan in support of Bhide against the violence that took place on January 1st. Prakash Ambedkar’s organisation had also held a protest previously holding Bhide responsible for the events that took place. He had given the government an ultimatum that in 8 days Bhide would have to be arrested. The protest included many Dalit activists as well in its efforts. Bhide maintains that he is being framed, that he wasn’t at the spot on the day of the incident. He was on his way to attend MLA Jayant Patil’s mother’s rituals. He is being booked under the SC/ST prevention of authorities act. It was the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Anglo-Maratha war on January 1st when the incidents took place.