15 August,2011 08:44 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Ajit Pawar replies to Uddhav's charge of 'murder', says face of man in Talegaon stir photo not clear enough to claim it's Moreshwar Sathe
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar yesterday said it was wrong to claim that protester Moreshwar Sathe was killed in a staged encounter in last week's farmer stir near Talegaon on the basis of a newspaper photograph that showed the police holding an agitator, as the face of the man could not be clearly seen in the mage.
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Not a telling pic: The photo in au00a0 newspaper that Uddhav Thackeray
said showed the police taking Moreshwar Sathe in custody
Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray had on Thursday claimed the person in the newspaper picture was Sathe and asked why the agitator's death should not be called murder since the police had him in their custody before he was hit by a bullet.
Dy CM Ajit Pawar in the city yesterday. Pic/Krunal Gosavi
Pawar said the truth would come out in the inquiry to be conducted by a special committee appointed under the leadership of retired high court judge.
Asked about the police firing and the alleged encounter of Sathe, Pawar said there were many agitators who had worn a Gandhi cap as seen on the head of the man with his back to the camera in the newspaper picture.
Pawar said many people had seen Sathe sitting in a police van after his arrest and later going out. "We are
providing many other pictures and video clippings of that particular incident to the special inquiry committee, as a result of which the real identity of the person claimed to be Sathe can be revealed," Pawar said.
The committee shall present its report within three months, said Pawar. Thackeray had alleged that Sathe was killed after his arrest in Tuesday's farmer agitation and demanded IPC Section 302 (murder) be slapped on the police.
Presenting the picture taken by the local newspaper, Thackeray had stated that Sathe was alive when the police detained him and were seen holding his hand. "Sathe's death was an example police brutality," he had alleged. Thackeray had also blamed Pawar and Home Minister R R Patil for the law and order situation at the agitation spot.
Sathe was a tractor driver and owner of a small piece of land. He had participated in the agitation against the closed pipeline project to bring Pavna dam water to Pimpri-Chinchwad, which farmers claimed would result in loss of land and water for them.
Vasant Garade and other friends of Sathe said he was killed in a police encounter. A few days ago, Superintendent of Police Sandeep Karnik had also ruled out the charges of staged encounter, stating that after his detention Sathe had run away from the police van. "He might have died of police bullet, but certainly not in any encounter," Karnik said.
Pawar flays firing
Pawar criticised the firing by the police, saying he had not made any call to the police till he heard about the death of two farmers in the shooting during the agitation. "Karnik resorted to the firing only to defend the police," he said. He remarked that instead of using bullets, tear gas or even water cannons could have been used to disperse the agitators.
Pawar also ruled out the charges of poor intelligence, saying, "We had deployed a total of 900 policemen at the sensitive spot. The only thing the Pune Rural SP should have done is that he should have banned the public meeting on the Expressway by imposing Section 144 of CrPC. This could have avoided many crucial issues automatically."
Agitation a BJP conspiracy: Pawar
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar alleged that the agitation was a conspiracy by the BJP leaders. He said it was all planned at the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini in Mumbai much earlier. "Bala Bhegde, the local MLA, sat on a hunger strike at Mantralaya in advance when I had shown readiness to address the issue immediately.
Bhegde did not respond, but was the one who was in touch with the Maval BJP leaders about the latest happenings. They are making me the target for the death of three farmers. For the first time a guardian minister has been targeted by the BJP and the Shiv Sena," he said.
Elderly woman to Chavan: Pipeline over our dead bodies
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan visited Baur and met the relatives of the dead and paid a visit to Talegaon General Hospital yesterday.The media was not allowed inside the hospital. Black flags greeted Chavan in Baur and some 20 were detained by the police.
Maharashtra Congress Chief Manikrao Thakare was also present with Chavan. Balasaheb Pingle, one of the injured, demanded that the kin of the deceased be awarded Rs 1 crore. Chavan stayed in the hospital for eight minutes and then left without addressing the media. Chavan met the family of Kanta Thakar in Yelse.
At Shyam Tupe's residence in Sadawali, an elderly woman demanded that the Government go ahead with the pipeline project over the dead bodies of the farmers, before sanctioning the project and said that Tupe's family had lost it's an earning member in the firing.
When he visited Moreshwar Sathe's home in Shivne village, his daughter angrily rejected any offer of compensation, demanding that the project be shelved. She said if farmers continued to be killed, then politicians should stop raising slogans such as Jai Iawan Jai Kisaan.u00a0
In a press briefing at the Circuit House, Chavan said that the work on laying the pipeline would not proceed, if the people were opposed to it. He said the police found guilty of manhandling and opening fire on the farmers have been suspended.
He said the Congress would give Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the kin of the deceased. He said the government would give land to the 800 people affected by the Bavna Dam project, which they would be able to sell, if needed to raise capital for business.
