Koregaon-Bhima commission summons Sharad Pawar on May 5

Mumbai, Apr 27: The Koregaon Bhima Inquiry Commission has summoned NCP chief Sharad Pawar to appear as a witness on May 5 and May 6. The two-member commission, headed by retired High Court Justice J N Patel, is probing the causes of violence in Koregaon Bhima area in the 2018 caste-violence case. The commission had earlier summoned Pawar to depose as a witness on February 23 and February 24.

Violence erupted in Koregaon Bhima and nearby areas on January 1, 2018, during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Koregaon-Bhima battle.

The Pune Police have alleged that "provocative" speeches at the 'Elgar Parishad conclave', held on December 31, 2017, triggered the violence.

According to the police, the Elgar Parishad conclave organisers had links with Maoists.

In December, Pawar termed the arrest of activists in the Elgar Parishad case "wrong" and "vengeful". He had also demanded that a Special Investigation Team be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune police.