Bhima-koregaon inquiry panel tells state to wind it up for lack of funds

MUMBAI: The two-member inquiry commission set up to investigate the 2018 Bhima-koregaon riots on Friday wrote to the Maharashtra government, recommending it winds up the commission owing to paucity of funds.

The letter, which HT has a copy of, stated that the superintendent of the commission used to be humiliated by the staff of the Maharashtra home department whenever he came to enquire about pending bills.

Friday’s development comes amid the Centre versus state government tussle over the transfer of the Elgar Parishad probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

It is alleged that the conclave was backed by Maoists and the speeches made there triggered caste-based violence near the Bhima-koregaon war memorial the next day on January 1, 2018, leaving one dead.

On February 9, 2018, the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had ordered the setting up of the commission, which is headed by retired chief justice of Calcutta high court, Jay Narayan Patel, and has Sumit Mullick, former chief secretary and the present chief information officer of Maharashtra, as the other member.

Friday’s letter, which was written by the secretary of the commission to the chief secretary and other senior officials, detailed the poor financial condition of the commission. “Circumstances indicate that the government is not serious about the commission. The commission is unable to function for want of money even for day-to-day expenses. The staff may not be able to continue due to want of salary,” read the letter.