http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Kawade-for-fresh-probe/articleshow/6203617.cms
Kawade for fresh probe
Ramu Bhagwat, TNN, Jul 23, 2010, 07.33am IST
NAGPUR: Prominent Republican leaders Prakash Ambedkar and Jogendra
Kawade have welcomed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
decision to appeal the July 14 high court verdict in Khairlanji case
in Supreme Court. The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court's decision to
commute the death sentence of six convicts has come as a shock for
Republican leaders.
The Dalit leaders will lead a march to Vidhan Sabha in Mumbai on
Friday to protest what they say is state's mishandling of the
investigation and prosecution of the case.
"It was the moral responsibility of the CBI and I am happy they are
fulfilling it. I am sorry to say that the state has not done its bit.
Even at this stage, the state can absolve itself of its anti-Dalit
attitude by appointing a judicial commission in Khairlanji killings
and reinvestigate the case," said Kawade, who had resigned as
legislator to protest the alleged mishandling of the case by the
government.
"I stand by my allegations that the Congress-NCP government in the
state and home minister R R Patil have conspired to weaken the case
from the start so that charges of Atrocities Act (1989) and that of
rape do no stick. The gory way in which the Bhotmange family members
Surekha, her daughter Priyanka, sons Sudhir and Roshan were killed and
later their bodies were defiled were enough to press the Atrocity
charge. But R R Patil, his party's local legislator Nana Panchbudhe
were more worried about the NCP image and influenced investigations so
that two crucial charges were diluted," said Kawade.
He said his People's Republican Party will constitute a fact-finding
committee and submit a report within three months. "In Mumbai riots
case Srikrishna Commission was appointed while Gundewar commission was
set up to probe Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar case. On the same lines, the
government should set up a judicial commission to look into
Kharirlanji case in its entirety, including the role of politicians in
influencing its investigations," said Kawade who is in Mumbai to
organise the march. "The high court delivered judgement but not
justice," he remarked referring to commuting of death sentence to
imprisonment of 25 years.
Bharatiya Republican Party Bahujan Mahasangh chief Prakash Ambedkar,
was, however, hopeful that the CBI appeal in Supreme Court could serve
the purpose of securing justice to Bhotmange. "In my opinion the high
court did not consider the portion relating to cruelty and brutality
of the crime based on which the lower court felt it was the rarest of
rare cases. The high court apparently viewed the case as revenge
killing," said Ambedkar. He was hopeful that the crucial aspect of the
case would not be overlooked in the apex court. The caste angle was
not given credence in the high court, said Ambedkar.
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