Bhima Koregaon violence was pre-planned, could have been prevented: Panel

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The fact-finding committee, constituted to probe the Bhima Koregaon violence, has submitted its report. According to the report of the nine-member committee, the violence in Bhima Koregaon was part of a conspiracy.

The report said that tankers filled with kerosene, sticks and swords were brought to the spot before the violence was triggered. People living in Sanaswadi area near Bhima Koregaon knew before hand that there would be violence, said the panel report.

It also indicts the police for not taking precautionary measures to prevent the pre-planned violence. Instead of stopping the crowd carrying saffron flags, police personnel in plain clothes were walking alongside the mob.

The committee had said that the violence could have been avoided had the police taken precautionary measures. The panel has named two right-wing leaders, Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, saying that they created an environment that could trigger violence for the past 15 years. Report said that they tried to divide people on the basis of caste.

Other highlights of the report submitted by the fact-finding committee are:

# Milind Ekbote had formed one Dharamvir Sambhaji Maharaj Smriti Samiti to give people distorted information about the history of Govind Gaekwad.

# A board providing information about Govind Gaekwad near the Sambhaji Maharaj memorial was replaced with a photograph of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder KB Hedgewar, which was not required.

# Historically, there was no enmity between members of different communities in the region, but was created by distorting historical facts.