In 2018, less that 48 hours after the violence breaking out under the BJP government, Pawar had called it the handiwork of “outsiders”, and said he had learnt from some locals that it could be the work of right-wing leaders.
While his attacks on right-wing forces had come at a time when the BJP was in power, the NCP perhaps sees little advantage in the same now, particularly with the investigation in the case making little headway in that direction. Plus, Pawar might be also trying to spare the blushes for ally Shiv Sena, which kept company with the same forces back then.
The Bhima Koregaon violence had erupted as Dalit groups had gathered to celebrate a victory in an 1818 battle against the Peshwas by the East India Army, in which the Dalits had played an important role. The Peshwas were part of the upper-caste Maratha Empire, which the Dalits saw as oppressors. Tension had been building up between the Dalit groups and Hindutva supporters, which erupted during the gathering.
On Thursday, the Pune Police submitted a report to the State Human Rights Commission saying it had dropped Bhide from the investigation after finding no evidence against him in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Bharip Bahujan Party chief Prakash Ambedkar, who had led protests seeking the arrest of Bhide and Ekbote over the Bhima Koregaon violence, says: “The inaction of the police against right-wing leaders is not a surprise. Both the BJP and NCP used the Bhima Koregaon violence to pursue their…
