Mumbai: Union Minister of Social Justice Ramdas Athavale has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to act against those responsible for the violence at Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district on January 1.
After the meeting at the CM’s official residence, Varsha, on Saturday, Mr. Athavale expressed confidence that the State machinery will do everything possible to bring justice to those injured in the incident. “While the CM has promised us decisive action, there is also a need to collect all evidence before initiating action. I am hopeful the culprits will be punished.”
The Opposition, meanwhile, is demanding that Mr. Fadnavis take moral responsibility for unrest and resign. The Congress said Mr. Fadnavis is directly responsible for the unrest, and claimed a rise in communal tension in the State during the three years of BJP rule. “This government is responsible for communal flare-ups in the past three years. What is taking so long to arrest those behind the violence at Bhima-Koregaon? He [Mr. Fadnavis] must resign immediately,” said State Congress chief Ashok Chavan.
An event to mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Bhima-Koregaon turned violent, claiming the life of one person. Its reverberations were felt in Mumbai as agitations brought the city to a standstill last week.
