MUMBAI: The two-member judicial commission probing the Bhima-Koregaon violence that took place in Pune in January 2018, on Friday issued summons to controversial IPS officers Param Bir Singh and Rashmi Shukla. The commission has summoned them on the ground that the duo were top office bearers of the Pune Police at the relevant time and thus might have some "intelligence input" to share with the panel.
The panel comprising of Justice (retd.) Jay Narayan Patel and former state chief secretary Sumeet Mullick, noted that in 2018, Singh was the additional director general (law and order) of the Maharashtra Police.
"In fact even before and after the incident he held some positions in the state police. As such, he must have received some valuable inputs concerning the issue at hand," the panel said in its one-page order.
The commission further took into account the fact the Shukla was the commissioner of Pune Police at the time of the caste-based violence in the city. "Some incidents of violence had taken place in and around Pune city. Her officer must have received valuable inputs or information regarding the incident," the panel's order reads.
Explaining the summons, advocate Ashish Satpute said that since the duo was leading the Pune police, the commission only wants to know if they have received any intelligence input. "The commission has asked them to spell out if they have any intelligence input with regards to the incident in question. This input or information could be prior to the violence or after that," the panel's advocate said.
"Now, the commission has issued summons to them, to which they have to respond by November 8. The summons have to be served by the state government through the home department," he added.
