MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday made it clear that the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' (MVA) government would withdraw cases filed in the Bhima-Koregaon violence.
However, these cases don't involve cases filed against the activists arrested for charges of sedition and for having links with the outlawed Maoist organizations.
"We are of opinion that all wrongful cases should be withdrawn. In fact the previous government too had initiated the process of withdrawing cases in Bhima Koregaon violence except those involve serious criminal offences. We shall ensure that the process is expedited," Thackeray told reporters here when asked about the letter written by the NCP to him regarding the withdrawal of the cases.
After the Thackeray government withdrew cases filed against activists in Aarey as well as Nanar refinery case, senior NCP MLA Prakash Gajbhiye had written to CM Thackeray demanding the withdrawal of cases filed in Bhima Koregaon as well as Indu mill agitation.
“I handed over a letter to CM Uddhav Thackeray demanding the withdrawal of cases against youth and women who participated in Bhima Koregaon as well as the Indu Mill land agitation,” Gajbhiye said earlier in the day.
Several young men, women and Dalit activists were wrongly implicated in the riots cases filed after the violence at the war memorial of Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2018.
Similarly, the youth who agitated for the speedy handover of Indu mill land for an iconic memorial of Babasaheb Ambedkar too have been implicated in cases.
All these cases should be withdrawn to do justice to the Dalit community, Gajbhiye had said in his letter.
Senior NCP ministers Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal accompanied Gajbhiye during his meeting with the CM, said a party release.