MUMBAI: Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said 348 of 649 Bhima Koregaon violence cases stood withdrawn by the state on the date. Adding, 460 cases related to Maratha quota protests and three cases lodged against Nanar refinery protestors were also withdrawn. “The government is studying the remaining cases and all politically motivated cases will be withdrawn,” he said. However, the cases related to damage of government property and attacks on police would remain.
Deshmukh was responding to a query raised by Congress legislator Sharad Ranpise in the Maharashtra Council on why activists and writers were deliberately dubbed ‘Urban Naxals’ and jailed. “We will withdraw politically motivated cases against activists and writers. Many were a clear case of vendetta by the BJP. Most of Bhima Koregaon violence cases stand withdrawn and the rest will also be, as and when the inquiry gets over,” Deshmukh assured the Upper House.
The Centre had last month transferred the probe into the Elgar Parishad case from the Pune Police to the NIA, a move then criticised by the Maharashtra government of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress. However, the state had later said that it had no objection to the move.