Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar will not be able to appear before the commission appointed by the Maharashtra government to probe the 2018 Bhima Koregaon clashes on February 23 and 24. He has accordingly conveyed the same to the commission, Maharashtra Minister and NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said on Tuesday.
Mr. Malik, who gave this information in a video statement, said the NCP chief would “definitely” appear before the probe panel in future to record his version of events.
Sources said that Mr. Pawar had visited the commission on Monday to request the panel to grant him a fresh date for his cross-examination in the case and to ensure that they would not be inconvenienced by his inability to present himself on February 23. The commission had earlier this month asked Mr. Pawar to depose before the panel on February 23 and 24.
