Kharghar deaths: Sharad Pawar demands judicial probe, says a babu won’t blame the government

Lakhs of people had attended the ceremony at Kharghar on April 16 after which 14 died allegedly due to sunstroke. Pic/Sameer Markande

A day after the government appointed an additional chief secretary to probe the deaths at a state-sponsored public function at Kharghar, Nationalist Congress Party boss Sharad Pawar on Friday demanded a judicial inquiry, because ‘no matter how honest the investigating officer is, he won't give a report against the government he is working for'.

Pawar was addressing a party event in Mumbai on Friday. He said the responsibility of deaths (14 so far) rested with the government. He accused the government of attempting to create a politically conducive situation by gathering so many people in the scorching heat. He demanded that the incident be probed by a retired judge because the officer, "howsoever honest, will not give a report against the government, and the people will never get to know the truth".

Raj vs Uddhav

While Pawar expressed his thoughts, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray refused to buy the argument of holding the government responsible. He said it was a tragic accident which could have been averted by holding the event in the evening. He said politicising accidental deaths was not good and snubbed his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray, in whose tenure as the chief minister, many people had died during the pandemic. He asked whether murder charges should be filed against the then government for negligence and murder.

Also Read: Maharashtra: Sanjay Raut confronts Ajit Pawar, says will continue to tell truth

‘The BJP's parrot'

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut called Raj the BJP's parrot. "He (Raj), who is a global leader, should also demand filing of murder charges against the UP government for causing deaths during the pandemic," he said.

Raut had said on Thursday that the death toll in the Kharghar incident could be much higher, up to 50. The Shinde Sena has filed a police report against him for making false charges. Raut said on Friday that he had projected the number of deaths based on the information about the people who might have developed serious sickness on their way home.