MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government’s decision to withdraw six old rioting cases against Sambhaji Bhide, chief of right-wing outfit Shiv Pratishthan, led to a political controversy on Monday.
While the Opposition termed the withdrawals as a soft-corner that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has towards Hindutva hardliners, state Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar clarified the cases withdrawn were primarily political in nature and were all lodged before the cases filed against Bhide in relation with to the Jaunary 1 violence during a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle.
The information of the withdrawal came to light in a government reply to an RTI, filed by activist Shakeel Shaikh, seeking information on withdrawal of cases against civilians and those in associated with politics between 2008 and 2017. The government reply came on September 27.
At least six cases which were withdrawn are against Bhide and others from his organisation.Reacting to the withdrawals, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Jitendra Awhad said that it was a conspiracy of the government to save Bhide from punishment. In a sarcastic vein, Congress leader and the leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said that the government should now consider Bhide for the Bharat Ratna or the Maharashtra Bhushan awards.
However, Mungantiwar made it clear that the cases withdrawn are of the political kind and those that involved no damage to life or property.Bhide was accused of making provocative speeches which allegedly led to the violence.