By Express News Service

MUMBAI: A fact finding committee, backed by RSS think tank Vivek Vichar Manch, has blamed the Maoists for the violence at Bhima-Koregaon on January 1 this year.

The committee that comprised of a retired army officer, a lawyer and social activists from Pune published their findings on Wednesday. The 84-page report prepared after extensive field study and research has demanded a deep inquiry into suspected Maoist organizations like the Kabir kala Manch and Republican Panthers who were amongst the organizers of Elgaar Parishad at Shaniwar Wada in Pune on December 31.

The report has also claimed that an Aadhar card of some Delhi based person named Kadir Khan was found near the Sambhaji Samadhi at Vadhu near Bhima-Koregaon and demanded an inquiry into the whereabouts of the person.

The report also cited books like “Shivajiche Udattikaran” (Glorification of Shivaji) as a proof of distortion of history and the cause of communal tention in the region. It has also demanded action against the writer, publisher, printer and distributor of the book.

The report also demands inquiry into roles of JNU leader Umar Khalid, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani, retired justice B G Kolse-Patil and their likes who had attended the Elgaar Parishad at Pune on December 31, into the riots on January 1. It has also questioned the role of Police in delaying action against the Maoist elements responsible for the riots.

The report is said to have been prepared after meeting residents and government officials in around 50 villages in the vicinity of Koregaon-Bhima. A comprehensive fact-finding study including analysis on news reports published by various media houses from various places and analysis of the incidents that took place at Koregaon-Bhima and nearby villages Vadhu and Sanaswadi, was undertaken to prepare the report, Capt. Smita Gaikwad, the former army officer who was part of the team told the New Indian Express.

“There had been several indications over past few years that ultra left organisations were running a systematic campaign which eventually led to the riot,” she said.

There have been three attempts of provocation for this riot, the report said citing Prerana March, organised by left organisations from December 23, 2017, provocative speeches during Elgaar Parishad at Shaniwar Wada on December 31 and a board of distorted history that was put up on December 28 at Vadhu about Chhatrapati Sambhaji’s last rites by people from Pune. Had police not ignored the links between all these attempts and had acted promptly against the miscreants the riots could have been avoided, the report has stated.

