Pune: Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray filed an affidavit with the Koregaon Bhima inquiry commission in Pune stating that NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s letter, if any, written to him in his capacity as the CM in Jan 2020, and demanding an SIT probe into the Jan 1, 2018, riot at Koregaon Bhima, has to be with the CMO now.On Aug 26, 2025, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar had filed an application with the probe commission seeking the latter’s direction to Uddhav Thackeray to produce such a letter before the commission as part of the inquiry process.Ambedkar’s application cited an e-paper report of Jan 1, 2020, which stated that Pawar alleged in his letter to Thackeray that the riot was part of a state-conspiracy under then CM Devendra Fadnavis and a total misuse of power by the Fadnavis govt in connivance with the police. The govt then protected all those behind the conspiracy and misled people in the state, it was alleged. Pawar’s letter is said to have demanded an SIT probe.The probe commission had sought Thackeray’s response to the matter. On Thursday, lawyer Asim Sarode, representing Thackeray, appeared before the commission and submitted the affidavit presenting the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief’s position on the matter.Uddhav said in his affidavit that as CM, he had streamlined all govt work in the state secretariat (Mantralaya) and all correspondence addressed to the CM were being handed over to the chief minister’s office (CMO). As such, all govt work-related papers and correspondence made with him in his capacity as then CM were kept with the CMO and it (CMO) must have the letter, if any, written by Pawar, the affidavit stated.Thackeray also said in his affidavit that considering the background behind the Jan 1, 2018, riot, he feels the riot was “a matter of hatred against humanity”. The affidavit stated, “The names of some people have constantly kept figuring as suspects behind the riot and I feel justice needs to be done to the Dalit brothers who faced injustice and atrocity.”When contacted, Ambedkar’s lawyer, Kiran Kadam, told TOI, “We are now planning to file an application tomorrow (Jan 9) with the commission seeking summons to the CMO to produce the letter, if any, as mentioned in our earlier application.”In Feb 2018, the Maharashtra govt had set up the two-member commission, headed by former high court chief justice J N Patel and former state chief secretary, to conduct an inquiry into the violence. The commission has since been given extension at regular intervals by govt to complete the inquiry process.According to the police, violence broke out between caste groups near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial in Pune district during the bicentennial anniversary of the 1,818 battle of Koregaon Bhima. One person died and several others, including 10 police personnel, were injured in the violence.
