The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) on Thursday summoned the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Pune to appear before it personally and explain why the "sword" of FIR continues to hang over right-wing extremist Manohar Bhide in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case.
The acting chairperson of the commission M A Sayeed has ordered the SP to appear before the MSHRC on Monday morning with all the records pertaining to the Bhima-Koregaon violence.
The order comes in response to a complaint filed by advocate Aditya Mishra, who approached the commission claiming that there is a sword of FIR hanging over Bhide in the case. He has claimed that the sword continues to hang despite there being no evidence against Bhide in the case.
Taking cognizance of the complaint filed by Mishra, the MSHRC has summoned the SP granting him an opportunity to be heard in the case and adduce evidence against Bhide. The commission has further ordered the officer to produce on record the relevant material against Bhide in the case.
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As per the order issued on Wednesday, the commission has clearly said that if the senior officer fails to appear before the panel on Monday, the MSHRC would not hesitate to pass an ex-parte order (in his absence / without hearing him) in the matter.
Notably, Bhide was initially named in the case and accused of instigating riots at Pune's Bhima-Koregaon area between two different communities in January 2018. However, all charges were dropped against him subsequently.
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