Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS) Amid raging controversy over the brutal killing of the Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday formed a one member judicial committee headed by the retired judge of the Bombay High Court Justice M.L. Tahaliyani to probe the case.
Further, the government formed another one member judicial committee headed by the retired judge of the Bombay High Court Justice V.L. Achliya to inquire the Dalit protester Somnath Suryavanshi’s death in judicial custody following the violence that took place after the desecration of Constitution in Parbhani.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had told the state assembly during the winter session held in December last year that the government would conduct judicial probe into the Beed and Parbhani cases.
The state government on late Tuesday night released the government resolution on the formation of these two judicial committees.
The terms of reference of the Justice Tahaliyani committee include to study the chronology of events of Santosh Deshmukh murder, its reasons and impact in Beed in particular, examine whether any individual or organisation were responsible in this incident, whether the planning and preparations made by the police machinery to maintain law and order were adequate and fix the responsibility for the killing.
The committee will have to recommend short term and long term measures to be taken by the district administration and police department in future.
The committee can invite any person to seek information with regard to Santosh Deshmukh’s murder and it will have powers to enter into any building or premises or authorise some one for the same and seize the papers and accounts.
The proceedings of the committee will be judicial in nature. The committee’s headquarters will remain at Beed and it is expected to submit report in six months.
The government’s move comes at a time when CID booked Walmik Karad, a close aide of the NCP minister Dhananjay Munde under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Karad was arrested in an extortion case on December 31 related to the murder of Santosh Deshmukh.
Already eight others, who are nabbed in this connection, have been booked under the MCOCA.
The chorus for the resignation of Dhananjay Munde is increasing from ruling and opposition parties.
The Beed Police have imposed prohibitory orders but despite that Karad supporters staged protests.
Further, the ruling and opposition parties are holding state wide protests against the killing of Santosh Deshmukh.
Meanwhile, the government also formed another judicial committee headed by retired judge V.H. Achliya to probe the death of Dalit youth Somnath Suryavanshi. His death triggered political storm.
Suryavanshi, 35, died at a state-run hospital in Parbhani on December 15 while in judicial custody, days after he was arrested in connection with violence in Parbhani over the desecration of the glass-encased replica of the Constitution.
Police had said that Suryavanshi died after falling ill. However, opposition alleged that Suryavanshi was killed by the police as he was Dalit and protecting the Constitution.
The judicial committee will study chronology of events, reasons and impact of the violence that took place on December 10 in Parbhani after the desecration of the Constitution and the death of Suryavanshi.
It will also examine whether any individual or an organisation were responsible for the incident. It will also study whether the planning and preparations by the district administration and the police were adequate to maintain the law and order situation. The committee will have its headquarters at Parbhani and it will submit report in six months.
(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)
–IANS
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