NCP workers protest outside Fadnavis office over Pune violence

A group of NCP workers today staged a protest outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' office here over the violence in Pune that left one person dead.

The opposition party workers gathered outside the CM's officer in Mantralaya (secretariat) and protested the BJP-led government's "apathy" in controlling the violence at a rally organised yesterday to mark the 200th anniversary of the Bhima -Koregaon battle in Pune district.

Slamming the judicial inquiry ordered today by the chief minister into the violence as a sham, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the RSS and its affiliates were responsible for the incident.

One person was killed in clashes between Dalits and right-wing groups at the rally at Bhima Koregaon near Pune.
 

Malik demanded action against the police personnel, who he alleged, sat on specific inputs about possible violence at the event.

"The NCP workers held a protest outside the CM's office as the government has shown complete apathy in controlling the violence. This was a well-planned exercise by the RSS and its affiliated organisations," Malik told PTI.

Police detained eight NCP activists.

Earlier in the day, Fadnavis ordered an inquiry by a sitting high Court judge in the Bhima Koregaon clash.

Malik said the judicial inquiry was a "hoax" and a time-buying exercise.

"Everybody knows judicial inquiries take a long time to complete. People will forget about the incident till then. Police had specific inputs about the instigators. The CM should immediately take action against them," he said.

The Bhima Koregaon violence found echo in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, with protesters disrupting rail and road traffic in the country's financial capital today.

Over 160 buses were damaged in stone pelting across the state, according to police. Over 100 protesters were detained in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Kolhapur district also saw incidents of stone pelting and road blockades over the violent clashes in Pune.

Dalit organisations have given a call for 'Kolhapur Bandh' tomorrow.

Stone pelting was reported from Kolhapur city, Kagal, Hupari and Ichalkaranji, police said, adding the overall situation in the district was under control.

Various Dalit outfits staged demonstrations at Sanvidhan Square in Nagpur over the Bhima Koregaon incident. The protesters raised slogans against the BJP-led government and the RSS over the violence.