Bhima Koregaon matter has inter-state link, implications on national security: Central govt defends transfer of probe to NIA

The plea challenging the transfer of probe in the Bhima Koregaon case from Pune Police to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is a "desperate attempt to thwart the investigation pertaining to the Bhima Koregaon case of 2018", the Central government submitted before the Bombay High Court..An affidavit to that effect was filed by the government in response to a writ petition by Surendra Gadling and Sudhir Dhawale, two of the accused in the case..Filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the affidavit stated that the Centre had issued a notification to the NIA to take over the investigation considering the "gravity of the offence and its inter-state link and implication on national security"..The affidavit also pointed out that while the initial FIR was registered by the Pune Police, who also filed two chargesheets against nine arrested accused and six absconding accused, the State government failed to report to the Centre about the scheduled offences alleged in the case..When it was noticed that the matter is "abnormally grave and spread not only to Pune district but to many regions of India", the Centre realised that the matter required investigation by professional agency having a pan India presence. For this reason, the matter was transferred to NIA. .One of the allegation in the petition was that the "transfer was undertaken by the Central Government after much delay and curiously immediately after BJP lost power in Maharashtra". This was stoutly denied by the Centre. .The affidavit stated that "the Union executive alone had the responsibility to protect the sovereignty of India and powers for laying down policies". It also enlisted the following reasons for transfer of investigation to NIA:That the organisers of the Elgar Parishad event (which allegedly led to the riots in Bhima Koregaon) were in contact with terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist) to spread the ideology of Naxalism and encourage unlawful activities;Presentation made to promote enmity between case groups led to violence;Scheduled offences were invoked;Thorough investigation is necessary to unearth the larger pan-India conspiracy hatched by the accused..The Centre, therefore, sought dismissal of the petition stating that there is no reason for High Court to interfere.