Sharad Pawar Party Leader Demands Probe Into Maharashtra Clashes

The Maharashtra home department should investigate whether recent incidents of violence follow any pattern or happened out of misunderstanding, state Nationalist Congress Party chief Jayant Patil said on Tuesday.

Maharashtra witnessed communal clashes on Saturday and Sunday in Akola city and Shevgaon village in Ahmednagar district, respectively, in which one person was killed and 13 others injured.

In another incident, members of a different religion allegedly tried to force their way into the famous Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik, prompting the state government to set up an SIT.

"The home department should look deeply into the frequent incidents wherein riot-like situations prevailed and take steps accordingly. It should be thoroughly investigated whether these riots are taking place due to some misunderstanding or are deliberate," Mr Patil told reporters.

He said the state needs to ensure that such incidents do not happen in future.

Speaking about the violence, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, on Monday said there are some organisations and people who want the state to be unstable, but the government will teach them a lesson.

Mr Fadnavis' cabinet colleague and BJP leader Girish Mahajan had claimed the violence in Akola was possibly "pre-planned".

Mr Patil, when asked if Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has finalised a seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, replied negatively.

He said two representatives each from constituents of MVA- Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP, and Congress-would sit together and discuss it (sharing of seats).

"We will also take small allies into confidence ahead of seat sharing," Mr Patil added.

Maharashtra sends 48 members to Lok Sabha.

On the ongoing investigation against Sameer Wankhede, who headed the Mumbai NCB when actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested in connection with an alleged drug bust on Cordelia cruise, Mr Patil said NCP leader Nawab Malik's allegations are validated by the CBI.

"Malik stands vindicated as CBI is investigating (the alleged demand for money by Wankhede). In those days, BJP was supporting Wankhede. It explains the true nature of the BJP," he alleged.

The NCP leader said he had not received any fresh notice from the Enforcement Directorate.

"I will visit the ED office at a given time and hopefully learn about the reasons behind the notice. There should not be any confusion about I am being served with one more notice by the ED," he said.

ED sources said on Monday that a fresh summon was issued to Mr Patil for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the now-bankrupt financial services firm IL&FS.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)