Centre transfers Bhima-Koregaon violence probe to NIA; Maharashtra fumes over 'no consent'

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday (January 24) directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation of the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence, in which activists and lawyers were jailed for alleged Maoist links. The development is likely to spark a tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at Centre and Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra over the issue of Centre not consulting the state, before transferring the case to the central agency, NIA. 

The case was being probed by the Pune Police, before being transferred to the NIA. During the probe, Pune Police had claimed that Maoists and their supporters in urban areas were discussing a 'Rajiv Gandhi-type' assassination plan against PM Narendra Modi. 

On Friday, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh hit out at the Union government for transferring the 2018 Koregaon violence probe to NIA without the state government's consent. Taking to Twitter, Deshmukh wrote, "...I condemn this decision. This is against the Constitution."

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Earlier in the day, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar labelled serious allegations against former CM Devendra Fadnavis and his government and demanded Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to constitute a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the Bhima Koregaon case.

Some media reports had said that Pawar, in a letter written to CM Uddhav, claimed that the violence was the result of a conspiracy hatched by the then BJP-led government in the state with the help of police.

Former Maharashtra CM and BJP leader backed the MHA's decision of transferring the probe to NIA, and told news agency ANI, "It is the correct decision because this case isn't confined to Maharashtra, we see its spread all over the country. The central government has taken the right step. This will expose urban Naxals."

Violence had broken out near Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Pune district on January 1, 2018, leaving one dead and several injured. Dalits visit the memorial in large numbers as it commemorates the victory of British forces which included Dalit Mahar soldiers over the army of the Brahmin Peshwa rulers of Pune in 1818.

The police had claimed that provocative speeches at Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017, led to the violence, and Maoists were behind the conclave. They later arrested several Left-leaning activists including Telugu poet Varavara Rao and Sudha Bharadwaj for alleged links to Maoists.

(With PTI inputs)